We Found Love
by somethinprettty
Summary: (HIATUS) AU/AH: The only people that don't know that Damon and Elena love each other are Damon and Elena. But things change and people grow apart - and life doesn't stop for anybody. Love endures all change - but sometimes love isn't enough. Or is it?
1. Nobody Taught Us to Quit

**Author's Note: **As you probably know, I have a terrible habit of beginning new stories when I have writer's block for the stories that are currently in progress. I've had this idea for a new AU/AH Damon and Elena story for a while now, so I thought I'd share it all with you. I posted it briefly but then deleted it so now I'm reposting it with a slightly different direction in mind.

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><p><em><strong>Tomorrow holds such better days<strong>_

Elena took a deep breath in an attempt to steady her anxiety before she opened the doors of her new high school. She could practically feel excitement and anticipation rolling off of people in waves as they ranted and raved about their summer holidays, unrealistic ambitions for the new school year and the homecoming football game. She fought the urge to laugh at the fact that in the midst of all this excitement, she can't feel anything but dread as she shuffles through the sea of people that crowd the halls around her.

After she walked into the office and received the proper forms and paperwork for her and her brother's registration, she spent the rest of the morning with a map of the school in front of her face as if it was her lifeline. She silently mulled through her classes, dreading the way Ms. Flowers talked about her two cats and Mr. Davidson's bitter divorce.

Much to Elena's surprise, her favorite class turned out to be history. Although the subject itself is boring, her teacher, Mr. Saltzman is quite endearing. He jokes with the jocks, pokes fun at the preps and laughs with everyone else, all the while teaching everything the students need to know.

Once lunch hour approaches, Elena allows herself to let out a breath she didn't even know she had been holding. Unfortunately, the hype of a new school didn't last long as she found herself feeling out of place as she watched everyone interact with one another. It made her realize that while she thought she could set roots here, there are bonds all around her that are stronger than any bond she could build as the new girl.

"Excuse me, are you in line?"

Elena gave her head a quick shake to bring herself out of her thoughts. Embarrassment instantly took over when she realized she was holding up the lunch line. She turned around to see who had spoken to her, her eyes instantly locking with a guy's she vaguely recognized from history class.

"Uhm…no…" Elena said awkwardly, her cheeks flushing an unflattering scarlet color. "I guess I just zoned out…sorry," she apologized.

He shrugged his shoulders, a friendly smile on his face. "It happens to the best of us. It's Elena, right?" Elena nodded, a small smile falling on her lips. He extended his hand, friendliness evident in his demeanor. "I'm Stefan. It's nice to meet you. Do you have somewhere to be right now?" he asked suddenly. Beginning to feel embarrassed again, she simply shook her head. "Let me introduce you to some friends of mine," Stefan offered.

"I'd like that," Elena abided with a smile. She took a deep breath and followed Stefan out of the cafeteria.

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><p>"Hey," Stefan greeted once he'd reached a table on the quad. The blonde looked up from the paper she was writing, her eyes immediately darting to the girl beside Stefan, curiosity becoming embedded in her features. "This is Elena. Elena, these are my friends Lexi and Lee," he greets.<p>

"I send you out for a slice of pizza and you come back with a slice of something else," Lexi comments with a smirk. Stefan rolled his eyes, embarrassment becoming evident in his smile before she stood up, her tanned arm extended in a friendly manner. "It's okay, I forgive you. But seriously, you owe me pizza."

"What about me?" Lee questioned, a smirk on his face. Elena giggled lightly before taking a seat beside Stefan once he had sat down across from Lee, Elena sitting across from Lexi.

"Awe baby," Lexi placated him before her expression sobered. "Stefan owes me a _slice_ of pizza. You owe me twenty bucks," she reminded him, a stern expression on her face.

"Why don't you two just get married already?" a new voice question. Elena's eyes shifted to be faced with arguably one of the prettiest girl's she's ever seen. Her sunshine blonde hair fell in soft waves just below her shoulders and her soft blue eyes were sparkling with happiness. Lexi chuckled lightly, flipping her own long golden hair over her shoulder before turning her attention to Elena.

"This is Caroline," Lexi introduced. Elena acknowledged the blonde with a nod, whose hands were now on her hips, a reproving gaze trained on some people on the other side of the quad. "Is Andie still pissed at you?" Lexi asked suddenly, her voice more serious now.

"Apparently," Caroline spat out. "I mean, it's not _my_ fault he couldn't resist my lips and come on, it's not like I knew they were seeing each other. If you aren't exclusive with someone, its fair game and everyone knows it."

"Anybody up against you isn't fair game," another voice said from behind Caroline. Elena turned her attention to a dark skinned girl with warm brown eyes, a wide smile on her face, revealing her perfect teeth. Her brown hair went just past her shoulders in soft waves like Caroline's although she was much lankier than Caroline. "I'm Bonnie. It's nice to meet you."

"You are so right, Bonnie," Caroline interrupted before Elena could introduce herself. Bonnie rolled her eyes, an amused expression on her face before her eyes gestured to Elena. Caroline's hands flew to her head embarrassed before she gestured to Elena. "Right, this is Elena! Anyway, as I was saying, Andie totally has it out for me because Damon kissed me while she was sleeping with him…"

"As riveting as this conversation is, I think I'm gonna go find Damon," Stefan said awkwardly. Lee nodded his head before shooting up from his seat and swiftly kissing Lexi's cheek before the two of them took off towards the football field.

"How long have the two of you been together?" Elena asked Lexi after she realized Caroline wasn't done telling her story to Bonnie. Lexi turned around, her gaze following Stefan and Lee as they shoved each other playfully.

"Unofficially, three years, officially, one year."

"Unofficially?"

"You know how it is. High school relationships, you want to test the waters, see what you like. We've been friends almost our whole lives, so it was kind of strange to step out of that dynamic but, so far so good," Lexi said with a smile.

"Like I said, why don't you two get married already?" Caroline butted in, a smirk on her lips before she turned to Elena. "By the way, fair warning. You better look out, new girl. Damon Salvatore has a thing for fresh meat," she said nonchalantly.

"Oh uh, I'm…I'm not interested and that's not really my thing," Elena stuttered awkwardly, almost insulted that someone she doesn't even know thought she was like that.

"It wasn't my thing either," Caroline drawled on, a playful smirk on her face before her eyes landed on Bonnie. "Bonnie, would you stop checking out the new kid! Yes, he has a cute butt but he has to be at least four years younger than us!"

"If he was four years younger than us, he wouldn't even be at this school…" Lexi noted as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"It's not a crime to admire!" Bonnie defended, regretfully tearing her gaze away. "But I saw him hanging out with Tyler and Vicki. They were heading towards the gates so; there goes my hopes for prince charming."

"Doesn't it suck when prince charming is a druggie?" Lexi questioned.

Caroline rolled her eyes before turning back to Bonnie. "Don't lose hope yet, Bon-Bon," she cooed. "Just because he hangs out with Tyler and Vicki doesn't mean he's not single. Who knows, maybe you could be the loner stoner boy's first, you know?" she added suggestively.

"Taking younger guy's virginities is your thing!"

"I didn't know he was a freshman!"

"Not this again…" Lexi pleaded quietly, exchanging an apologetic look with Elena. "Before this turns into a blood bath, what's this guys name anyway?"

"Jeremy," Bonnie answered without skipping a beat. Elena's eyes widened, a look of surprise becoming embedded on her features. "What? Do you know him?"

"Yeah, he's my brother…" Elena said awkwardly, a small smile on her face. Bonnie's eyes widened, and Elena could faintly see her cheeks becoming flushed with embarrassment. "And he's only two years younger than us," she added thoughtfully. The soft, nonjudgmental smile on Elena's face comforted Bonnie slightly.

"Ugh, we're gonna be late for practice!" Lexi piped up, gesturing to the time on her phone. Elena remained seated awkwardly, shooting the girls an appreciative smile.

"I'll see you guys around I guess," she said quietly, trying to decide what she was going to do with the rest of her day. A wide smile broke out on Caroline's face before she grabbed Elena's hand.

"No way! You're coming with us!" Caroline beamed, all but skipping off the quad.

"Don't worry," Lexi assured.

"You get used to her," Bonnie amended.

* * *

><p>"Ugh, this gym smells like no one ever invented deodorant!" Caroline complained as she sauntered into the gymnasium, pink pom-poms in her hands whilst resting on her hips. Lexi chuckled lightly as she and Bonnie went to join the rest of the girls while Elena found her way to the bleachers against the wall. Caroline let out an annoyed huff, her eyes narrowed as she scanned the group.<p>

"The boys were doing suicides before practice," a girl explained.

"Yeah, well the next time you guys think I'm a bitchy co-captain, be thankful I don't make you do _that_!" she huffed before striding closer to the group of cheerleaders. "Have any of you seen Andie?" she wondered, her eyes scanning the group again. Her question was answered when someone all but stumbled into the gym, a giddy smile on her face, her lips swollen. Caroline rolled her eyes, an unimpressed look on her features.

"Sorry I'm late I was…" Andie stuttered, her cheeks flooding with color. Elena stifled a smirk at the girl as she was obviously coming down from a high of sorts. "Well, you know…or maybe you wouldn't…"

"I know," Caroline spat out bitterly. "You're in the back row today," she snapped before shaking her head to clear her thoughts. "Anyways, I've decided that because of the summer break – everyone except me is a little bit rusty with their moves, so practice is two hours every day after school instead of every other day. The homecoming football game is in less than a month, and if the football team sucks half as much as they did last year, we're really gonna need to be cheery."

"They weren't _that_ bad," Lexi piped up.

"Oh please! Henry touched down on the wrong end of the field!" Caroline said exasperated before her eyes landed on another blonde in the group. "No offense, Rebekah."

"Are we gonna practice or are we gonna talk about how much my brother sucks at football?" another girl said, her voice laced with disdain. Caroline rolled her eyes but nodded in agreement before skipping over to the large stereo on the far side of the wall, closest to the gym office. Music started blaring throughout the gym, smiles automatically etching themselves on select faces.

"Let's practice the routine first," Caroline ordered as she bobbed her head. "Five, six, seven, eight!"

Halfway through the practice, Elena found herself joining in on some of the cheers while she stayed on the sidelines. When the routine was done, Caroline shut off the stereo, her eyes narrowed in suspicion as she looked at Elena. "New girl!" she called out. Elena quickly sobered up, her arms folded nervously across her chest. "Where'd you learn to cheer like that?" she questions.

"I…I was just watching what you guys were doing," Elena answered honestly.

Caroline chuckled lightly. "It took us a week to get it looking like that – you've been here an hour."

"I was the captain of the cheerleading squad at my old school," Elena admits. She shrugs her shoulders, her brown eyes wide with anxiety. The last thing she wants is to offend one of her new friends.

A wide and cheerful smile spread across Caroline's face and Elena could practically feel relief washing over her like a tidal wave. She practically bounced on the spot before walking over to the girls, dragging Elena with her. She took a deep breath and jutted out her index finger to point at the various girls on the squad, introducing them one by one. "You already know Bonnie and Lexi, but that's Vicki, Andie, Rebekah, Anna and Rose and over there is Beth, Heather, Claire, Dana and Mackenzie!"

Caroline finally turned to face the girls, a wide smile still on her lips. "Girls, this is Elena, our new cheerleader!"

"What?" Elena choked out.

"_What_?" the girls gasped in unison. Lexi and Bonnie were the only ones smiling widely, clapping their hands quietly as they gave Elena the thumbs up.

"Why the hell do we need a new cheerleader? The squad's full," Vicki spat out bitterly, her eyes narrowed as she stood toe to toe with Caroline but she didn't flinch. She just held her head high, her good mood rolling off her in waves. Elena couldn't help but admire Caroline's enthusiasm, especially since someone was giving her grief.

"It's not up for debate, Donavon – Elena is on the team. We need all the help we can get for the homecoming football game; so either deal with it or get out. And when I say deal with it, I don't mean drugs, okay stoner girl?" Caroline questioned happily, a smirk on her face.

"I smell a cat fight coming on," a masculine voice echoed from the far corner of the gym. Everyone's gaze landed on the herd of athletes entering through the door. The boy who had spoken was tanned, brown hair and brown eyes, and the smirk on his face was victorious. "Don't stop on our account," he said lightly, a smirk on his face.

"Shut it, Lockwood!" Vicki and Caroline said in unison, bitterness evident in their tones. Elena raised an eyebrow in confusion as she saw Stefan in the crowd of boys, but he just shrugged his shoulders, a small smile on his face.

"What are you doing here, anyway? We have to practice for _your_ football game because if you guys suck half as bad as you did last year, we're still screwed!" Caroline added angrily, her index finger pointed in an accusatory manner.

"Rumor has it that if _you_ suck half as much as you did last year, _you're _screwed…" the boy echoed, earning a big laugh from all the boys. Elena watched as Caroline's cheeks immediately flooded with heat, and she could see the tears prickling in her baby blue eyes.

"Bite me, Tyler!" Caroline snapped angrily. "Oh wait, I wouldn't wanna get herpes or rabies or something," she said with disgust, sticking out her tongue childishly. Tyler opened his mouth to give her a piece of his mind but was thwarted by another voice.

"Why don't we just use the field? I'm sure it's not as damp from the rain yesterday," Elena heard Stefan pipe up and say. The majority of the football team looked at him, dismay evident on their faces as she assumed the bro code for their team was "bros over hoes".

Her thoughts were interrupted by the entrance of someone sauntering into the gym. As if his dark-wash jeans, tight black t-shirt and black leather jacket didn't make him sexy enough, his raven black hair and blue eyes stuck out like a sore thumb – a beautiful, well kempt, sexy sore thumb. "Ah, Stefan the peacemaker," he taunted playfully, slapping Stefan on the shoulder with a smirk.

"Oh joy, Damon's here…" Stefan deadpanned. "Where've you been, anyway?" he wondered, his eyes taking in Damon's slightly disheveled appearance.

"He means other than in the pants of half the cheerleading squad," Lexi said bitterly, her hazel eyes narrowed. Stefan was holding back a grin, while Damon rolled his eyes, unfazed by Lexi's comment. Instead, he just shrugged his shoulders, his lips tugging at the corners into what Elena already realized as his signature smirk.

Elena found herself feeling confused. Was _this_ the Damon that all the girls all over school swooned over? This is the guy that Andie was sleeping with, Caroline was making out with and whoever else was doing whatever with? She couldn't blame them. He was painfully beautiful.

"Are you jealous, Lexi?" he questioned, his fingers gently skimming her cheerleading skirt. She brushed his hand away angrily, her head being held high as she looked at him defiantly.

"Cool it, Damon," Lee warned.

"Relax," Damon cooed to Lee before turning his attention back to Lexi, his eyes playful. "You're not my type."

"Easy?" Lexi retorted before turning to the rest of her team. "No offense, girls…" The looks on the squad's faces were a mixture between offended and angry, before they finally contorted into indifference.

The loud sound of the bell pierced through the animosity, efficiently annoying Caroline. "Way to go, assface. You successfully took up the rest of our practice!"

"Surely we can find other ways to practice your flexibility," Damon purred, his eyes roaming Caroline's body. She briefly blushed underneath his gaze before folding her arms across her chest defiantly, a growl erupting from the back of her throat. He threw his hands up in surrender, a smug smile on his face. "Ooh, the kitten's got claws!"

"The kitten also has fists, wanna see?" Caroline challenged, her stance turning into the defensive position.

"Playtimes over, kiddies!" a voice boomed throughout the gymnasium. Everyone turned their heads to see Principal Plec and Coach Tanner enter the gym, a smile on the principal's face while the Coach's features were laced with disdain. "Everybody's gotta clear out."

While both Caroline and Tyler argued with each other and the coach about their practice being cut short; they only had wasted more time and now neither sport can use the gym for practices. Amidst the groans and complaints, everyone eventually shuffled out of the gym, Elena taking a breath of relief once she had made it to the safety of her car.

Her first day at Mystic High is finished – and now she only had a couple hundred more to go.

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><p>"How'd he seem today?" Jenna asked quietly, her voice barely above a whisper as she continued to dry the dishes as Elena handed them to her. Elena briefly glanced over her shoulder, her heart aching at her brother's desolate look as he watched television. She shrugged her shoulders, honestly unsure.<p>

Jenna set down the tea towel and leaned against the counter, her arms folded across her chest as she watched her nephew. "I wish I knew how to fix this," she says aloud. She doesn't know who she's talking to, she's just talking. "I wish I knew how to fix you and Jeremy. You guys are so young and you deserve more than this," she said honestly – gesturing to the small house they now resided in.

Elena took a deep breath and turned off the tap to face her aunt. "Please don't try to fix us and don't act like we're the only ones that lost them that day," she says quietly. "We lost our mom and dad but you lost your sister."

Jenna's hazel eyes darkened at the mention of her sister. She tried not to think about the accident that changed her life. When she got the call that there had been a car accident, everything changed. She was no longer a carefree 25 year old grad student who smoked a lot of pot and hooked up with a lot of guys; she was no longer deemed the cool aunt, but rather a loving parent first and a friend second. Jeremy and Elena now depended on her to help them survive the world, and she was only just discovering it herself.

Jenna nodded, tears pooling in her eyes but she fought them back. She fought the urge to outwardly laugh at her 16 year old niece's maturity. "I'm the adult. I'm supposed to be giving you the pep talks," she reminded Elena with a small smile.

Elena shrugged her shoulders, honest sincerity reflecting in her brown eyes. "We could all use a little help sometimes," she pauses, suddenly averting Jenna's gaze. "Do you think it'll ever get better?" she asks weakly. She's suddenly caught in the warm embrace of her aunt, her face buried in Jenna's light brown hair.

"I hope so," Jenna says quietly. "God, I hope so."

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><p><em><strong>please leave a review.<strong>_


	2. You're Gonna Need Someone On Your Side

**Author's Note: **I hope you guys liked the first chapter. I have the story mapped out so hopefully updates won't take as long. I'm going to try and include as much dialogue from the show as I can, so keep an eye out! Also, in the beginning chapters of this story – you'll see a slightly different Elena in terms of the way she is with other characters. I also wanted to thank you all for your kind reviews...I didn't expect the story to get such great feedback so quickly and it really, honestly does mean the world to me, so thank you!

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><p><em><strong>Oh, give yourself a break<br>Before you break down  
>You're gonna need someone on your side<br>And here I am**_

"Are you freaking kidding me?" Damon roared, all but throwing his chair at the wall. It took every ounce of strength not to stomp his foot and throw a tantrum in front of the woman. "You can't take me off the team! I'm the captain and the homecoming game is in two weeks!"

"I'm sorry, Damon – I really am but it's out of my hands. The board of education clearly states that a student must maintain at least an average of 75% or higher in order to be eligible to participate in extra curricular activities," Principal Plec declared.

Damon didn't know what was more dominant – his brewing anger or increasing anxiety. How the hell was he going to pull off an average of 75%? In hindsight, it wasn't much – but for someone who had never given a damn about his grades before – it was a lot to swallow. He had never gone the extra mile to maintain his marks, and he didn't want to start now but the thought of not playing football or not being on the team was almost sickening.

Football was Damon's lifeline. From the first day of high school, he had a plan: he'd get mediocre grades, make out with a senior while still a freshman and get a scholarship to play college football. It was his senior year and he knew that he'd never be smart enough to be the doctor or lawyer his father so desperately wanted, but if he could be good enough to play college – that'd be good enough for him.

But as he stood in front of Coach Tanner and Principal Plec, he wondered how in the hell he was going to pull off good enough marks that would help land him the scholarship he needed to get anywhere in life. It wouldn't look good on a football college application if he'd gotten kicked off the football team, all the while still being captain and having shitty grades.

"Damon," Principal Plec said tentatively. He fought the urge to roll his eyes but he knew that she meant well. She was a nice lady and he knew he was fortunate that she didn't just flunk him right then and there. He knew that she really wanted him to succeed, so he bit his tongue and listened. "There are resources available to you. Hope is not lost," she assured with a warm smile.

She tucked a piece of blonde hair behind her ear, her smile warm as she continued to look between him and his records that lay on her desk. "We have a few options. We could coordinate with your teachers about the best course of action or I could arrange for you to join a study group or we could get you a private tutor. It's your senior year, Damon. The last thing I want is to see you drown before you try swimming."

"I'm so sorry I'm late," another voice said from behind Damon. Damon felt his stomach churn inside his body at the sound of the voice, anger and resentment brewing inside of him. "My meeting ran late. I'm Giuseppe Salvatore, Damon's father. I would just like to apologize for Damon's latest discrepancy, whatever it may be."

"Your faith in me is overwhelming," Damon deadpanned as he shifted in his leather chair. Principal Plec rose from her own seat, anxious to cut the tension in the room.

"Julianne Plec, nice to meet you!" she introduced politely. Giuseppe nodded curtly before taking a seat in the chair beside Damon. "I was just telling your son about possible action plans that would help him succeed best."

"How bad are his marks?" was the first thing that came out of his father's mouth.

"He isn't failing, but his marks will definitely be a factor that colleges look at," she said kindly. Giuseppe let out an annoyed sigh that resembled a growl of some sorts, to which the principal exchanged a look of apology with Damon. "Damon, which course of action do you think will work best to help you succeed?"

He shrugged his shoulders again, indifference evident in his eyes. Coach Tanner spoke up for the first time, folding his arms across his chest and looking between Damon and his father. "I've had students succeed with private tutors in the past," he suggested.

After another unnecessary hour of introductions, snide comments from both Damon and his father, and a mini-counseling session from the principal – it became painfully obvious that there was no wriggle room for Damon. Either he pulls his grades up, or loses his scholarship.

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><p>The walk to the parking lot is too awkward and silent and Damon can feel the disappointment rolling off his father in waves. He didn't comment on it, somehow hoping that maybe he could go home without a lecture from his father. Naturally, the second the hopeful thought came to mind, things went the opposite way.<p>

"Damon," his father said sternly. He rolled his eyes and took a deep breath before turning to face his father, his face indifferent to the disappointment reflecting in his father's grey eyes. "I'm going to say this one time and one time only. Pull up your grades, or you can kiss a lot more than football goodbye, do you understand me?"

Damon's forehead furrowed together in genuine confusion, unsure of what to make of his father's seemingly empty threat. He doesn't have anything to lose – but he has everything to gain. So he just nods, his face void of emotion. "Yes, Sir."

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><p>Damon's hands tightened around the steering wheel of his mustang, his breathing unsteady as he struggled to maintain his composure. He can't help it – he's just so stressed. His entire future is riding on the notion that he is smart enough to keep his scholarship, but he's haunted by the question of what if he can't.<p>

It's not the first time he sits in his parked car that stands idle in the driveway, his eyes on the house as he bides his time to enter. He notices that Stefan's car is in the driveway, and that comforts Damon in an odd way.

He's 19 years old and he should not by any means depend on his baby brother; but on days like today – on days where all he wants to do is crawl into a hole and sleep until the worst is behind him, he can't help but relish in the comfort that when everything will fall to pieces, his brother will still be there for him, just as Damon will always be there for Stefan.

His thoughts are interrupted by someone tapping on his car window. He rolls his eyes, mentally saying goodbye to however many minutes of peace he'd have for that weekend and then finally, plasters on his infamous smirk. "How long have you been standing there?"

"I just got here," Andie said with a smile. "I wasn't gonna interrupt you cause you had your thinking face on, but I figured if we're gonna make out, I don't wanna get another bump on the head from your stupid car."

"Are you sure it's not a bump from your headboard?" Damon questioned with a smirk, his fingers gently skimming the exposed skin between her breasts.

"I'm sure," Andie amends before capturing his lips. His fingers soon tangle themselves in her light brown locks, a soft moan escaping his lips once he feels her fingers playing with his belt buckle. She pulled away first, her lips swollen from his kisses and she only smiles at him, playful and friendly, all the while sincere. "I'm hungry," she tells him.

"So go eat something," Damon says as if it's the most obvious solution in the world. She just rolls her eyes before her fingers lace through his and he's all but getting dragged across his front lawn to his house.

"Hey Stefan," Andie greets with a smile once she's inside the house, a smile etched on her face once she realizes he isn't alone. "Hey Caroline," she grins before taking a seat beside the blonde on the couch.

"No Lexi?" Damon wonders as he shrugs his leather jacket off. Damon only asked because Stefan and Lexi have been best friends for most of their young lives, and it's an odd day when one is seen without the other. Stefan just shakes his head, his gaze shifting from his brother to Caroline awkwardly, and his eyes suddenly emitting sadness instead of excitement. "It's just as well; I think her boyfriend wants to beat me up."

"He better get in line," Caroline snapped, her voice tainted with bitterness. Damon just rolled his eyes and threw the blonde a smirk before his attention is averted to two more cars pulling up onto their driveway. Damon's forehead furrowed together in confusion before he cocked his head towards the now-parking cars.

"Steffy, are you throwing a party without telling me?" Damon chides, his voice feigning innocence.

"Don't tell me you forgot," Stefan pleads as he stands up from his spot on the couch. Damon's eyes widen, confusion apparent on his features. Stefan outwardly groaned, his hand dragging across his face out of annoyance. "The teams getting together to strategize."

"What are we, the chess club?"

"No, chess clubs are for _smart people_," Caroline enunciates for Damon's benefit, venom evident in her voice.

"No wonder you've never joined one," Damon retorted. Caroline opened her mouth to throw a witty comeback his way, but she just settled for folding her arms across her chest, an annoyed '_harrumph'_ falling from her mouth, her eyebrows knitting together in anger. "_Anyways_, why are they coming _here_?"

"Because we aren't allowed to use the football field until Coach Tanner gives us the okay."

"Alright, so why are the girls here?" Damon questioned. "Not that I'm complaining."

"Because we need to coordinate cheers with the play," Bonnie explained. "Plus, we need to get Elena caught up with all the cheers."

Damon rolls his eyes out of aggravation before he waves his hand dismissively and exits the living room. He takes a deep breath and unconsciously finds himself in the library, his eyes zeroing in on his favorite thing that gives him unrequited courage.

Five minutes passed before Damon outwardly groaned as he attempted to unlock or break the lock off the cabinet, his body becoming increasingly anxious with every passing second. "Looking for some liquid courage?" Stefan asked from behind him. Damon rolled his eyes before shifting on his feet to look over his shoulder at his brother, throwing him a sarcastic smirk. "Dad changed the locks."

"Great," he mumbled before finally taking a seat in one of the library chairs, an annoyed look etched on his features. He ran his hand over his face; exhaustion and anxiety beginning to take its toll on him. "It's almost as if he doesn't trust me," he muttered in a feeble attempt to lighten the mood, a move that wasn't lost on Stefan.

"Do you wanna talk about it?" Stefan wonders, his arms folded across his chest as he leans on the doorframe from the hallway to the library. Damon shakes his head. He's too exhausted, mentally and emotionally to have this conversation, hence the liquid courage. "I can tell the team to go home," Stefan offers quietly. "We can strategize another time."

"The homecoming game is in two week and we haven't had a decent practice since the beginning of the school year. Do you wanna get your ass kicked by an entire football team?" Damon asked almost rhetorically, a smirk playing on the edge of his lips before he takes a deep breath, finally meeting Stefan's concerned gaze. "They're already here; we might as well take advantage of the opportunity. We need the practice," he amends. "I'm just not sure if I should be captain right now," he says quietly, his voice laced with dejection.

"What are you talking about?" Stefan asked. "Why shouldn't you be captain?"

"I talked to Coach Tanner and the principal today," Damon explained. "Then dad came in and made me feel like a bigger fail than I already did. Long story short, I need to maintain a 75% average or I lose my scholarship, plus if by midterm I don't have a 75%, I can't participate in extra curricular activities anymore."

Stefan remained silent, unsure of what to say. He knows just how important football is to Damon, and he wonders what'll happen to him without it. A football scholarship is his ticket out of this town, and he wants nothing more than to see his big brother succeed. He almost wishes he could take Damon's classes for him, just to alleviate the stress from his brother's shoulders, but he can't do everything for Damon. He has to stand on his own two feet.

"Its times like these where I wish I had some sort of supernatural ability to make people do anything I want. I'd make all my teachers pass me with flying colors," Damon added hopefully.

"You can't…compel your way through life, Damon."

"I don't remember your name being Negative Nelly."

"You can call me Realistic Rob," Stefan added with a smirk of his own.

"Leave the comic humor to me, Silly Stefan," he warned playfully. Stefan just rolled his eyes in surrender and Damon let out a shaky breath. "This sucks." Stefan nodded in agreement, his lips in a tight line, unsure of what to say to make it better.

Stefan thinks that this is one of the hard lessons in life: sometimes you have to watch the people you love clean up their own mess. He just hopes that Damon knows he'll always be waiting in the wings with a broom and dustpan in hand.

* * *

><p>"Tell me again whose house this is?" Elena asks as she and the rest of the squad stretches. It's nearing the end of September, yet the weather is warm enough to have a comfortable practice outside. She couldn't help herself as her eyes gazed the large backyard of the house they were practicing at. It was a large field, landscaping surrounding it with a treed forest at the very back.<p>

"Stefan's," Caroline says with a smile. "Sorry about leaving you to cab it here, by the way. I swear I'll pay you back! I drove Stefan home after school since his ride bailed and then we just hungout and I completely lost track of time…"

Elena shakes her head with an amused expression on her face. She raised an eyebrow incredulously and stopped her stretches to fold her arms across her chest.

"What's so funny?"

"You like him," Elena says nonchalantly.

"I do not!" Caroline futilely lied. Elena raised an eyebrow, suspicion evident in her eyes as she stared down the blonde. Caroline's reserve quickly shattered and her face broke out into a sheepish smile, her hands flying to cover her face as she struggled to hide her giggles.

"For whatever its worth, I think you two would be really great together."

Caroline's smile turned from amused to sad at Elena's words, her blue eyes darkening with sadness. "I think he likes Lexi; they've been friends forever and even if he didn't like her…he's way out of my league anyway. It's okay, though – I mean…we're friends so that's enough for me I guess."

Despite the fact that Elena has only known Caroline for a few short weeks, she's never seen the usually bubbly blonde this down to earth and – insecure. It was almost unnerving. She can't imagine that anyone would be out of Caroline Forbes league. She opened her mouth to give her friend some words of encouragement, but had to swallow them back once Bonnie, Lexi and Andie approached.

"It's about time someone put him in his place," Lexi said, inevitably bringing Elena out of her thoughts. "He's an ass and he needs a wakeup call."

"Who are we talking about?" Caroline asked, her voice weaker than usual but something that unfortunately went unnoticed by Lexi and Bonnie.

"Damon," Bonnie said nonchalantly before explaining. "I overheard him talking to his dad in the parking lot and he said that if Damon didn't get his grades up, he can say goodbye to football. His dad sounds like a real piece of work. I wouldn't wanna be Damon if he doesn't get his grades up, that's for sure."

* * *

><p>"Thanks for sticking around and helping to clean up," Stefan says later on that evening. The night did not go at all like she thought it would. Strategizing and practicing quickly turned into a drinking game, with both the football team and cheerleading squad. "I had no idea drinking often led to strip poker," he said before bringing the trash bag into what she assumed was the kitchen.<p>

Elena couldn't help the small laugh that fell from her lips. She didn't have anything to drink that night, because the energy from the room of her new peers was enough to give her a buzz and it was better than alcohol. "Any excuse to get naked, I guess…" she muttered under her breath.

"Are you offering?"

Elena turned around instinctively, her hand flying to her chest as a surprised gasp escaped her mouth. "You scared me!" she says breathlessly. "I didn't realize anyone else was still here but uh, no. I'm not offering," she clarified, folding her arms across her chest protectively.

Damon took in the appearance of the girl in front of him, admiration hidden in his gaze. There was no denying that she was beautiful. She was gorgeous and breathtaking in a simple way. He wasn't sure whether it was her long chestnut hair or the way her body curved beneath her clothes or her chocolate brown eyes, but she was captivating in a way that made him uncomfortable in his own skin.

What _she_ didn't realize was that he was a cliché, the high school jock, ruled by his hormones, his eyes trailing her every movement, inappropriately landing on her chest. "Bummer," he said as evenly as possible. "I would've rocked your world," he said, flashing her a seductive smirk.

He watched as she shrugged her shoulders indifferently, a teasing smirk on her lips. "I guess I'll never know," she says with a small laugh. He tried to hide the surprise in his eyes when she extended her hand, her brown eyes wide with sincerity. "I'm Elena, by the way."

His eyes fall on her hand suspiciously, taken aback by her kind nature before he accepts her gesture and smirks at the way her breath hitches in her throat when his lips gently touch the back of her hand. "I'm Damon, Stefan's brother."

She nervously tucked her hand under her arm, confusion evident in her eyes as well as surprise. "Stefan didn't tell me he had a brother."

He shrugged indifferently. "Stefan's not one to brag," he said with a smirk. Elena took a deep breath and nodded a small smile on her face. She instinctively crossed her arms again, something she's always done in self preservation. "How do you like it in this washed up town?" he asks suddenly, mimicking her gesture.

"It's not washed up," she defended suddenly. "I think I'm gonna like it here."

"That makes one of us. God, I can't wait to get out of this place."

She smiled at him. "It could be worse," she reminds him. "You seem like a guy with his whole future ahead of him. Not everyone has that luxury."

"What? A football scholarship?" he asks her with a scoff. Elena shakes her head, a small smile on her face.

"No. The luxury of knowing what you want." Elena took a deep breath and tucked a piece of hair behind her ear, a small smile on her face. Her thoughts were interrupted by Stefan's emersion from the hallway, an awkward smile on his face.

"Caroline's passed out in the library," he fills her in. Elena's eyes widen and she instantly takes a step forward, readying herself to take care of the girl that's been so kind to her. "It's okay; I already gave her a bucket. She's just sleeping it off."

"I guess I'm spending the night here." Elena grumbled. Stefan's forehead furrowed together in confusion at Elena's sudden proclamation. She huffed in annoyance, suddenly not in the mood to explain everything. "I'm not just gonna leave her here and it's not like I have a ride home if she can't drive."

"I'll drive you both home," Damon offered quietly. Elena's forehead furrowed together in a mixture of confusion and skepticism. "I had one beer three hours ago. I wasn't really in the mood tonight," he says, answering his brother's unasked question. "We can take my car and I'll drive you both to your place, and then somehow she'll get her car tomorrow."

Elena shook her head automatically. "I can't ask you to do that."

"You didn't," Damon said nonchalantly. "I offered."

* * *

><p>"I could make so many crude jokes about this," Damon said with a smirk as he continued to drive down the familiar streets of Mystic Falls. Elena's forehead furrowed together in confusion as she continued to pet Caroline's blonde hair methodically while the blonde slept draped over Elena's lap. "Two cheerleaders in the backseat of my car," he clarified with a smirk, stealing a glance through his rearview mirror.<p>

Elena outwardly rolled her eyes but couldn't help but smirk at his cliché innuendo. "Eyes on the road, grandma," she warns with a playful smile. It wasn't until his car came to a stop in front of her small house. She swallowed back the disappointment, hoping he didn't somehow think less of her now.

Her worries decrease once he takes it upon himself to help both girls to the door, Caroline drunkenly swaying in his arms and both their bags in Elena's as she unlocked the door. Once she and Damon safely got Caroline to the couch, she took a breath of relief and turned to face Damon. The sudden urge to help the seemingly kind boy in front of her took over everything else, self preservation instincts be damned. "I'll help you," she finally says. "With your grades, if you want my help, I'll help you."

"How do you even -" he trails off, suddenly embarrassed.

"It's a small town, gossip spreads like wild fire but I can help you."

He folds his arms across his chest, genuine confusion on his face along with what she recognizes as amazement. "And why would you do that?"

She shrugs her shoulders, an amused smile on her face. "You just up and left to drive a stranger and a former fling home, assumingly no strings attached. Surely you can't be as bad as they say you are."

"They?" he challenges with a smirk. Damon is well aware of his reputation, but he suddenly hopes that Elena isn't as informed.

"People, girls, conquests…" she says playfully. Elena watches with trepidation as he visually struggles with the very idea of her generous offer. She smiles at him; one that she hopes emits sincerity and honesty. "Look, if you wanna get out of this town as bad as you say you do – you're gonna need someone to help you."

"What's in it for you?" Damon bites out almost instinctively. She's taken aback by the harshness in his tone but she fights back her surprise, reminding herself that less than two hours conversation does not make them friends. It barely makes them acquaintances.

Elena just shrugs her shoulders, genuinely unsure of what's in it for her. "The satisfaction that I helped someone get what they want."

"There are other ways to do that, Elena…" he says seductively, leaning forward playfully. She pushes at his chest, although unable to hide the smirk that possesses her lips when he's around.

"And he's back," she amends with a smile. He only laughs and tucks his hands inside his jean pockets, his shoulders hunched forward slightly. He suddenly seems nonthreatening, but rather boyishly young and vulnerable. She thinks it's his best look. She offers him a small smile, readying herself to say goodbye for the night. "Goodnight, Damon."

"Wait," he says tentatively just as she's about to close the door. She pauses in her actions, hovering awkwardly between the door and her house. She looks at him, her brown eyes wide and anxious, tainted with uncertainty as she waits for his bad boy demeanor to resurface – mentally taking a sigh of relief when it doesn't. Instead, his eyes squint ever so slightly, offering her a small smirk. "Thank you, Elena."

Her smile falls ever so slightly, taken aback by his boyish nature. She can't help but wonder the Damon that everyone else speaks so lowly of. She's scared that she'll find out, and she's scared that she won't. She quickly regains her composure and nods in a goodbye gesture, closing the door gently behind her.

She thinks she's never spoken truer words. She thinks she's gonna like it here.

* * *

><p><em><strong>please leave a review<strong>  
><em>


	3. Are You True?

**Author's Note: **I am absolutely blown away by the great feedback I've gotten so far. Almost thirty reviews for two chapters is a record for me, I think. So thank you so much. I'm sorry for the wait for the new chapter, I've been dealing with some other stuff and I haven't quite found my inspiration and I didn't want to give you guys a mediocre chapter when I'm capable of better but this chapter was kind of difficult, I'm not sure why but I promise that if you bear with me, it'll get better! I figured I'd update so you guys have something to read while TVD goes on another hiatus (they should call it the Hiatus Diaries because that's essentially what it's becoming!) Anyways, long author's note is long so thanks again, I love you all and_ don't forget to review!_

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><p>He groaned, burying his face in the pillow in a feeble attempt to hide from the sunlight that was streaming in through the curtains. He heard a soft laugh and it was then that he remembered where he was and who he was with. He inwardly rolled his eyes, mentally kicking himself for not going home when he had the chance. Didn't she remember that he was <em>not<em> a morning person?

"It's too bright in here," he mumbled almost incoherently. He could practically hear the eye roll as she shifted off the mattress and shuffled around the room.

"It's called sunlight," Andie told him, slightly amused. He took a deep breath and reluctantly lifted his head from the pillow, to find her standing at the foot of her bed, hands on her hips as she looked at her messy room, probably trying to decipher where to start cleaning. "I have way too many clothes," she announced with a smile, brushing her hair back.

He smirked. "And yet you rarely wear any," he said lightly. He watched with amusement as she blushed at the reminder of their earlier activities. It wasn't unusual that Damon spent the night in Andie's bed – and if he was being honest, if he wasn't with Andie he probably would have been with another cheerleader.

Andie's eyebrow rose. "Are you complaining?" she challenged. Damon raised his hands in mock surrender, a devilish smirk on his face. He opened his mouth to shoot out out a witty remark but was interrupted by the sound of his phone ringing, the personalized ringtone causing him to groan. She laughed again. "Wow, really? Led Zeppelin?"

He ignored her comment and answered the phone.

"Well if it isn't my favorite brother," Damon mused playfully.

"I'm your only brother, jackass," Stefan reminded him bitterly. "I just thought I'd give you a heads up that Dad's home and he wants to talk to us – he doesn't seem too happy."

He stiffened immediately at the mention of their father. "Does he ever?" He can practically hear Stefan's silent pleads to not fight with their father today of all days. If there's anything Stefan hates more than conflict, it's conflict between his dad and brother. He exhales sharply, closing his eyes and regretting his words before they fall from his mouth. "I'll be home soon."

Shortly after he got off the phone with Stefan and gathered his clothes from Andie's bedroom floor, Andie offered him a small smile and nervously folded her arms across her chest. "Thanks for last night," she finally says, a light blush creeping up on her cheeks. Her hands were on his chest now as she leaned forward, lightly brushing her lips against his cheek.

He stiffened underneath her touch. Despite the fact that Andie was arguably the easiest person to go to for an easy lay, he hated spending the night. He couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt when he saw a glimmer of hope flash behind her eyes that maybe he would one day see her as more than the late night booty call.

Of course, he knows that she will never be anything more to him than his personal call girl and deep down, she knows that too.

* * *

><p>"You look like hell."<p>

Damon couldn't help but smirk at his brother's comment. "Well brother, when you spend the night with a lady friend – there isn't much sleeping involved. But don't worry; I wouldn't expect you to know that."

Stefan sighed. "Lady friend," he repeated, shaking his head in disappointment. "Please don't mistake friendship for bed buddies." Damon opened his mouth to spout off something that would inevitably lead to an argument but was interrupted by Stefan's pacifist nature. "Besides, I thought you were just dropping Elena and Caroline off."

"Well that was the plan but then Andie called and she was all weepy and hysterical, something about catching her dad in bed with his mistress. Anyway, she needed a shoulder to cry on and I happened to be the first person she called. It's not like I could say no. What kind of person would that make me?"

"An honorable one," Stefan deadpanned.

He rolled his eyes and shrugged his shoulders, indifference evident on his features. "Honorable or not, I'm still a guy and I have needs," he said before he turned around to head up the stairs.

"She's not a puppet Damon. She doesn't exist for your amusement."

Damon paused to face his brother, an amused smirk on his face. With a small shrug of his shoulders and a devilish look in his eyes, he spoke evenly. "Sure she does – they all do. They're whatever I want them to be. They're mine for the taking," and with that last thought, he went upstairs to have his shower.

* * *

><p>"Damon," Giuseppe greeted stiffly, not even bothering to look up from the paper that scattered across his desk.<p>

Damon inwardly cringed at the way his father said his name – almost like it was a secret. But Damon always felt that way – like he wasn't good enough, like his father was ashamed of him. It's just one of the many things that he's learned to live with.

He didn't say anything, he just folded his arms across his chest and leaned on the doorway, shooting Stefan a look of confusion as the brothers waited patiently for their father to say whatever it was that was weighing on his already weak shoulders.

He finally looked up from his cluttered desk, his gaze tired and worn out. "I thought the two of you might like to know that the nursing home called, and it appears as though she is responding quite well to her new medication," Giuseppe announced quietly.

It suddenly felt like all of the air had been sucked out of the room.

Damon immediately stiffened at his father's words, and he felt his heart ache briefly before he masked the pain to plaster a look of indifference on his face. The truth is, the elephant in the family struck anything but indifference with Damon. It struck emotions of pain and sorrow and absolute hopelessness.

"Wait, is that the only reason you asked me to come home? Just so you could tell us that it _seems_ she's responding to her medication? Didn't anyone ever tell you that not everything is as it seems?" Damon spits out defensively.

He's vaguely aware that Stefan is talking to him, probably pleading with him to not do this right now but Giuseppe's silence and mask of apathy only angers him further.

"Damn it! We've been through this before. We know how it ends. They put her on a new medication, it works for a little bit and then when we think that she'll get better – we're back to square one! It never works. So the next time the nursing home calls, keep it to yourself because I don't give a damn anymore!"

The silence surrounds them once more: Damon's chest is heaving as he seethes with anger while Stefan stands quietly beside his brother, sadness embedded in his gaze as he looks to his father while Giuseppe only stands up from behind his desk.

"Are you done?" he asks calmly, his voice void of emotion.

"Yeah dad," Damon deadpans. "I'm done."

* * *

><p>On the other side of town, Elena didn't get a lot of sleep that night. She wishes she could blame her temporary bout of alert on Caroline and her drunkenness, but in all honesty – she knew it had nothing to do with the blonde snoring loudly on her couch rather than the butterflies in her stomach thanks to Damon.<p>

She doesn't regret offering to tutor him – he needs her help, what kind of person would she be if she declined? She tries to tell herself that that was why she was helping him. It had absolutely nothing to do with wanting to get to know him and possibly being friends, right?

When Caroline finally woke up, Elena was able to bring herself out of her thoughts long enough to question Caroline's health. "I know that look," Caroline groaned, running her fingers through her hair for the umpteenth time. "I'm fine, really."

Elena rolled her eyes and glared at her friend. Considering the fact that she spent the rest of Friday night and early Saturday morning holding her hair back as she emptied the contents of her stomach, she was genuinely concerned. "Do you always drink like that?" she asked quietly, her voice gentle and troubled.

She sighed, a slightly amused smile on her lips. She shrugged her shoulders, carefully avoiding Elena's gaze as she began to fluff the pillows unnecessarily. "I didn't have anything to eat yesterday, that's all."

Elena's forehead furrowed together in worriment. "Why the hell not?" she asked, her tone unintentionally harsh (and parental).

Caroline carefully avoided eye contact when she answered. "I'm on a diet," she supplied weakly.

"Caroline – being on a diet does not mean starve yourself!"

"I know and I meant to eat but I forgot and then I got distracted and it's not a big deal anyway, it's not the first time I've been drunk and…" she trailed off, awareness flooding her eyes. "_Oh my god! _Please tell me I did not make a fool of myself in front of Stefan!"

She couldn't help but roll her eyes in slight amusement at the trivial concern that Caroline voiced. She chuckled lightly before shrugging her shoulders. "I don't think so…but he_ was_ the one that found you passed out in the library."

Embarrassment and horror flooded Caroline's features as she buried her head in her hands. "_I can never show my face again!"_ she mumbled almost incoherently. "Oh crap. And I probably owe you like a million dollars for the cab ride home since I thin I dropped my keys in the toilet at their house before I threw up in it…why did they have to live on the other side of town?" She gasped, turning to Elena. "You didn't call my parents, did you? Please tell me you did not call my parents!"

"Relax! I did not call your parents. I didn't know where your keys were, and you don't owe me any money because Damon drove us home."

Her previously dull and tired eyes were now glistening with amusement. "Wait – _what _did you just say?"

"That I didn't call your parents…" Elena repeated slowly.

Caroline waved her hand dismissively, shaking her head. "No not that, the other part."

Elena frowned in confusion, uncertain why the second part is important or relevant. She contemplated even telling Caroline seeing as though her bubbly and intrusive personality would no doubt leave Elena to dissect every thing that happened the night before but she was too tired to lie so she relented. "Damon driving us home?"

"Yeah, that! What are you talking about?"

Elena sighs heavily before explaining. "I didn't know where your keys were and I wasn't going to leave you there alone so I offered to spend the night there with you but then Damon offered to drive us to my house and here we are." She paused, uncertainty in her gaze. "Why? What's the big deal?"

"The big deal is that Damon Salvatore is a sex god that doesn't just do favors for no reason. So spill – what was it? Were you Handy 'Lena or did you have your own vacuum company for a few minutes?"

She immediately felt a blush creep up on her cheeks, her eyes going wide as saucers. "Caroline!"

"Don't be such a prude, you can tell me! I won't tell anyone, I promise!"

Elena shook her head in both amusement and embarrassment. "You are unbelievable. Believe it or not, some people do things out of the kindness of their heart, and not just to get into someone's pants."

Caroline scoffed indifferently. "Yeah, people do that sometimes. Damon doesn't. If he's being nice to you – it's for one reason and one reason only and that's that he's trying to get into your pants! So do yourself a favor, stay away from Damon. He'll bring you nothing but heartbreak."

Elena tried to ignore the way that her heart sank in her chest at the thought of staying away from Damon. She didn't like the way that Caroline spoke of Damon – like he was some sort of monster. Elena has always been a good judge of character, and she wasn't going to let anyone distort the image of someone that has the potential to be her friend.

So she offered Caroline a tight smile. "I'm sure I'll come to my own conclusion soon enough but anyways, enough about Damon. Your gym bag is in my room if you wanna go and have a quick shower while I make us something to eat. I always cook for my brother when he's hung over."

Caroline's forehead furrowed together in confusion but decided not to comment on Elena's family – it sounded like a different story for another time and right now all she wanted to do was wash her greasy hair and get the smell of puke off of her so she just smiled at her friend and offered her a thankful nod before heading down the hall towards Elena's room to get her clothes before taking a shower.

Just as she had gathered the ingredients to make them food, someone was at the door. She sighed heavily, suddenly feeling like an exasperated mother that never gets a moment of peace. When she opened the door to face her visitor, all frustration faded and was replaced with an unmistakable smile.

"Damon," she breathed, shaking her head with disbelief. "What are you doing here?"

Damon's eyes roamed her body before finally settling on her face. He threw her his signature smirk before tossing her the object in his hands. Confusion quickly replaced her smile. "Whose keys are these?" she questioned.

"Caroline's," Damon answered simply. Elena's head snapped up in alarm, vaguely recalling Caroline's horror story from earlier that morning. "Don't worry. I made Stefan take them out of the toilet and disinfect them. I wanted to get out of the house so I figured I'd drop off Blondie's car and kill two birds with one stone."

Elena laughed lightly, running her fingers through her hair. "Good call," she rewarded with a smile. It was then that Elena noticed the distance that was emanating from Damon's eyes and it struck a chord with her. She wanted to ask him if he was okay, but she knew from experience that whenever someone asked that, the answer was almost always 'I'm fine' which was almost always a lie.

She shook the negative thoughts away and smiled at him, stepping aside to invite him inside. "I was just about to make brunch. If you stick around long enough, there might be a grilled cheese sandwich in it for you," she offered playfully.

Once again, Damon was visibly taken aback by her gesture.

"_Was this girl ever non-hospitable?" _Damon thought to himself before he smiled tightly – hesitantly. He opened his mouth to answer her when he was interrupted by Caroline's sudden babbling, raving about the stench of vomit.

It was hardly appealing.

"What's he doing here?" Caroline bit out almost defensively once she finally acknowledged his presence. Damon fought the urge to smirk.

The Caroline that paraded around school with her head held high was definitely not the sweatpants, baggy t-shirt, wet hair, no-makeup Caroline that was standing in front of him now.

Damon scoffed. "You're lucky I brought your car back with no scratches."

Her eyes widened in horror and Elena sighed, tossing the blonde the keys. "Your car is fine," she assured.

Caroline caught her keys before turning to Elena. "My mom just texted me; she wants me home immediately. Apparently I have some explaining to do," she drawls out, grabbing her gym bag. "Don't forget what we talked about…be careful."

Elena's heats flooded with color briefly, so quickly that he might have missed it if his eyes weren't trained on her face. He broke the silence between them, the tension too thick to handle. "You mentioned something about food…" he hinted with a smirk.

She rolled her eyes playfully before stepping back from the door, inevitably inviting him in (and ultimately forgetting Caroline's warning). "You are such a guy."

Damon chuckled before following her towards what he assumed was the kitchen, his eyes fully trained on her ass as she walked in front of him. He was fully appreciating the view. "You know what they say; Elena…the way to a man's heart is through his stomach."

Elena's forehead furrows together in mock confusion. "I don't think anyone says that anymore," she laughs lightly before she started up the stove. "I actually wanted to talk to you about last night – the whole tutoring thing."

"Are you dumping me already?" Damon asks with a smirk, trying to hide the vulnerability in his voice.

Elena almost drops the bread she's holding. "No, nothing like that!" she assures. "I just need to know what classes you're taking so I can talk to your teachers and get the curriculum in place for when I actually tutor you."

He frowns. "You actually have to do that?"

She smiles, a small laugh escaping her lips. "Yeah, I actually have to do that. This isn't like a study buddy thing – if you want my help, you have to be committed. You can't blow me off for a hot date or because you're tired from football. I want to help you, but you have to want my help."

He isn't sure if he wanted her help, but he certainly needed it. Damon also thought that getting together with Elena Gilbert two or three times a week whilst being in close quarters wouldn't be the worst thing that could ever happen to him.

Damon runs a hand through his hair anxiously before speaking quickly. "I have to ask again – what's in it for you?"

Elena chuckles lightly. "Didn't we already go over this last night?"

"Yeah – I still find it hard to believe that you're doing this out of the goodness of your heart."

"Why?" she asks, almost offended.

"Because nobody cares that much."

Elena offers him a small smile, nervously tucking her hair behind her ear. There is trepidation and reverence in her eyes as she softly tells him: "I do." Damon was rendered speechless. For the life of him, he couldn't understand why she cared so much. He couldn't understand how someone he barely knew could care that much. He didn't have much time to ponder any further once her small voice brought him back to reality. "I want to help you, Damon but you have to want me to help you."

"I do," Damon assures. He doesn't know how kind girls like Elena existed. Scratch that, he didn't know that kind people like Elena existed. All he knew was that he was very thankful to her. She smiled in relief before silently continuing making their lunch.

"Elena – I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship," he quotes before they slip into a comfortable silence.

* * *

><p>Damon and Elena spent some time together after they ate lunch – small talk filling the comfortable silences between them. During the short time he spent with her, his previous notions had been confirmed – Elena Gilbert was unlike any woman he'd ever met before. She was one of the good ones.<p>

This thought stayed with him for the remainder of the day until he arrived home in the early evening. Of course, his contentment was short lived thanks to Stefan's immediate lecturing, for lack of a better word. "Damon, there's something you should know…" Stefan said cautiously as he followed his brother up the stairs to his room.

He paused in front of his bedroom door, his hand hovering over the doorknob. "Stefan, we talked about this. We're too old to be having sleepovers…" he said with a smirk before opening his bedroom door. He was not at all prepared for what he found when he did.

"I hope that _we're _not too old to be having sleepovers," a husky voice said seductively. His eyes were wide as saucers as the sultry brunette sauntered up to him, twirling her chestnut brown locks between her fingers, smirking at him seductively. "Did you miss me?"

Damon let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding before he found his voice. "Katherine."

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><p><strong><em>I'm really not sure how I feel about this chapter but...please leave a review!<em>**


	4. The Games We Play

**Author's Note: **First of all, thank you so much for all the wonderfully positive reviews I've received - each and every single one make my day; my readers mean the world to me! On that note, I would like to apologize for the space between updates. I've had a hard time writing lately, I don't know why, but that's why this chapter is so much shorter than all the others but, I'm hoping the Damon and Elena interaction makes up for it ;). Thank you for being patient with me and being patient with me, and once again - I'm really very sorry. I love you all.

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><p><em><strong>The<strong>** games we play  
><strong>**The shows we give  
>The hearts we break<br>We live through this  
>The games we play <strong>_

Monday morning, the hallways of Mystic High were abuzz with the latest news that was the return of Katherine Pierce. Rumors were flying regarding her whereabouts and Damon had heard almost everything from speculations about tuberculosis or a boob job to she had drowned in the Pacific Ocean while vacationing in Los Angeles. Naturally, she loved every bit of the attention she got when the boys complimented her apparent breast size increase or when the president of the celibacy club congratulated her on her resurrection from the dead.

Damon swore to himself that the next time he saw Katherine, if ever, he would send her packing. But when he found her on his bed, big brown eyes and seductive smile calling to him like a siren, he couldn't think of anything but what it was like to have her body writhing beneath his after having a little bit too much to drink at another Lockwood party. He prided himself on the fact that his desire for her was now purely physical, fueled by nothing more than the remembrance of how well their bodies accommodated one another.

Stefan was by no means Katherine's biggest fan, and was definitely not part of the welcoming committee. When she left town over a year ago, he was so angry at her for the way that she hurt his brother, unintentionally or not. She left without a word and left everyone to come to their own conclusions. Damon didn't have any answers, and Stefan watched with a heavy heart while his love-sick brother filled her voicemail box and emails that always went unanswered.

Mystic High was a small school and he narrowly managed to avoid her; but somehow – she's always one step ahead of him. Part of him thinks she rigged her class schedule to mirror his own so when lunch time rolled around, Damon was more than ready to ditch campus and head home for the day, but he couldn't afford to skip another English class - he struggled with Shakespeare enough as it is, and Mrs. Hamilton already hated his guts, the last thing he needed was to give her _another_reason to hate him.

As much as he tried to deny it – he wanted to succeed in life.

It was that desire that got him through the next couple of days. His stress level went through the roof along with his schooling – tutoring sessions with Elena don't start until next Monday (apparently tutoring isn't just a kindhearted thing, it's an official school board thing) and so he was up to his eyeballs in work. With the homecoming game scheduled for Friday, Coach Tanner made sure that practice was ten times more grueling than usual, leaving Damon absolutely wrecked.

* * *

><p>As expected, Thursday's practice was the most grueling of them all – both physically and emotionally.<p>

It was the day before the big game, and there was something about all the posters and banners and announcements that were inherently nerve-wracking, as if Coach Tanner's exhausting practices weren't enough, knowing that the entire student body was rallying for Mystic High's Timberwolves to take them to victory made everyone a little more on edge, a little more anxious.

Coach Tanner's voice boomed throughout the football field. "Hit the showers!"

You could almost feel the tension in the air dissipate after practice was over. The only thing left between the team and complete relief was the homecoming game tomorrow. If they won that, they were practically golden for the rest of the season; that was something they were all looking forward to.

Of course, it wouldn't be a high school football team if there wasn't petty chit-chat to fill the silence during the walk from the field to the locker rooms. "Dude – Katherine's the kind of girl that could make fucking granny panties look sexy," Mason said nonchalantly. While Katherine was Damon's on-again, off-again girlfriend for most of his high school career, it was no secret that she'd spent some time rendezvousing with Mason Lockwood – and half of the rest of the team.

Damon nodded in agreement, his mind briefly flashing to the times that she had rocked his world as equally as he'd rocked hers. "Yeah, that's probably true. It's too damn bad she's a bitch on heels though."

"Tell me about it. Underneath all that sexy, is one scary bitch." Tyler added. "I feel really bad for the new Gilbert girl – but I'm sure she'd still look hot, even if she did have a black eye. I just wouldn't wanna be on Katherine's bad side."

Damon could almost physically feel something inside of him shift. His previous gloat over memories with Katherine was now replaced with fear and concern for Elena, at the simple mention of her name. "What are you talking about?"

"Apparently jealousy is a green-eyed monster, and Katherine went full Hulk on the new girl at practice this afternoon," Mason explained, his eyes sparkling with amusement. "She found out about your new study buddy through the grape vine – and since you've been ignoring her all week, she went straight to the source."

"Wait, wait. Katherine and Elena got into a fight?" Stefan questioned incredulously.

_"Elena_!" Mason echoed. "That's her name. I thought it was Ellen for some reason…"

Completely ignoring Mason's obliviousness to the names of his peers, Stefan turned to Damon, his emerald eyes borderline amused and concerned. "Not even a month into the new school year and already cheerleaders are fighting over you. I'd say impressive but I think it'd be a mistake to let Katherine back into your life again. You deserve better," Stefan said earnestly.

"I appreciate the concern Dr. Phil, but I'm a big boy. I can take care of myself."

Despite the bravado façade that Damon has mastered, Stefan knew that all Damon wants, and has ever wanted, was to love and be loved in return.

He almost breathed a sigh of relief once the water rained down on his skin, vaguely relaxing his muscles and washing away all sweat and body odor. He didn't even care that he was probably using up all the hot water – it was a school, surely they'd have enough hot water to go around. Oh well, he'd be out of dodge before someone could complain anyway.

* * *

><p>By the end of the school day – Damon was ready to throw in the towel. The entire day, he had been approached by what he thought was every one in school, throwing him encouraging wishes of good luck, hopeful glances. People were painting themselves with the schools colors – and it was only <em>the homecoming <em>game. He couldn't even imagine how the school would be if they made it to the championships.

It was this anxiety that had him seeking a place of solace, even if only for a few minutes. There was a large white oak tree that sat in the woods just off school property. He sat down at the base of the trunk, brought his knees up to his chest and buried his head in his hands, allowing the weight of the impending day to weigh down on him.

Damon had always prided himself to be cool as a cucumber in any given situation. He distanced himself from people with heavy baggage, unwilling to harbor anymore than he needs to. He could easily talk himself out of almost anything and could lie smoothly to get what he wanted. But right now – there was no façade. There was no pretending to be the brave captain of the football team. There was no solid knowledge that tonight he would carry their small town to victory. There was only Damon, and his whirlwind of emotions that he's struggled to keep in check.

He was so lost in his thoughts that he hadn't even heard her approaching. It wasn't until she was visible in his peripheral vision that he realized he was no longer alone. His lips pulled up into a smirk as he drawled out her name, low and seductive. "Hello Elena."

"Damon," she acknowledged. Her eyes raked the vacant woods before she took a seat beside him, close enough for conversation, far enough away for it not to be awkward. He found himself wanting to close the distance between them, and for the life of him, he couldn't figure out why. "I promise I'm not following you or anything – "

"I didn't think you were," Damon said. "How did you even know about this place?"

Elena's lips pulled until a smile, a light blush on her cheeks. "I read about the oldest tree in Mystic Falls, and I wanted to see what all the hype was about."

Damon smirked at her, a hearty laugh falling from his lips. "So you're _that _girl."

Elena folded her arms across her chest. "What girl?"

"The girl, you know; the girl with the unquenchable thirst for knowledge."

"Funny, you didn't seem to mind my knowledge when I volunteered to tutor you," Elena retorted stiffly before sighing in exasperation. "Okay fine. The truth is, I really don't care about the stupid tree. I'm delaying going to Caroline's. Apparently it's not enough to be peppy and cheery at a football game, you have to look the part of the bubbly, high school hussy."

Damon's eyes instinctively raked her body. He couldn't help but wonder what she was like underneath all the clothes and the niceties – and the bad boy in him is just dying to find out. Elena blushed under the scrutiny of his gaze and folded her arms across her chest indignantly, her eyes burning a hole into his head.

"Okay, so maybe you're a different girl. You know, the girl that is shy on the streets but sexy in the sheets; the stripper and the librarian, the saint and the sinner – and I mean that in the nicest way possible."

"First of all, who I am behind closed doors is really none of your business," Elena says with a laugh. "Second of all, instead of trying to figure out what kind of girl I am, why don't you tell me why you're hiding in the woods by yourself?"

"But I'm not by myself anymore, am I Elena?"

"You know what I mean," Elena said shortly.

He shrugged. "I guess I just kind of – I don't know, find myself here sometimes. See that rock over there?" Damon pointed to a small boulder hidden behind a mass of bushes. Elena nods. "First day of freshman year, I made it to third base with some chick I met in detention."

Elena shook her head, chuckling lightly. "Wow, high school freshman are so horny."

Damon smirked. "Yeah, they are – but she was a senior so your argument is invalid."

Before Elena could answer, her phone buzzed in her pocket. She shot Damon an apologetic smile before checking the text from Bonnie, and then one from Caroline. "Bonnie says that Caroline is about to throw a bitch fit."

"As opposed to all the other times she's totally calm?" Damon questioned with a smirk.

"Don't be mean!" Elena said with a small smile. "Besides, she's wigging out because she's intimidated by Katherine and I don't blame her. She's very territorial."

"Her bark is worse than her bite," Damon said as he stood up, extending his hand towards Elena. She eyed it cautiously before slipping her hand in his, allowing him to help her to her feet.

"I hope you're right."

"I'm Damon. I'm always right."

Elena laughed lightly before her gaze locked with his, a genuine smile on her face. "Not that I think you need it – but good luck at the game tonight. For whatever it's worth, there's one cheerleader in your corner. I mean I know you have Katherine and Andie and rumor had it once _Caroline_– "

"Yeah, I have a bit of a track record." He admits.

"What I mean is that – you have me," she clarified. Damon's eyes sparked with interest at her words, and she blushed under the scrutiny of his gaze. "As a friend – you have me."

Damon's lips jutted out into a pout. "Just friends?" he mused, his eyes flashing flirtatiously. With the exception of Stefan's best friend, Lexi and the occasional friendship he shares with Andie, he can't remember the last time he was friends with a girl with no expectations of it ever becoming more.

"Yes, Damon. _Just friends_," Elena said with a smile.

"Okay. I guess we could try that first. Just – try not to fall in love with me, alright? I recognize that it'll probably be the hardest thing you'll ever do because I'm god's gift to women and sex on legs but just so you know, I wouldn't be opposed to the concept of us becoming friends with benefits."

Elena shook her head and headed back towards the school grounds, laughter falling from her lips like raindrops from the sky. "Bye Damon!" she called behind her.

Unable to take his eyes off of her, Damon watched with wonder as she walked away. Just friends - he could do that, right? Damon knows one thing for sure, he wouldn't screw things up with her because he can't help but think that somebody like Elena could really make things better for him.

* * *

><p>Hours flew by like seconds on a clock and then finally, game time was upon them. The atmosphere was thick with excitement and anticipation. Almost the entire school was seated amongst the rows of bleachers and lawn chairs, flags and banners up in the air by dedicated family members and devoted friends.<p>

In contrast, the locker room was thick with tension and anxiety. The roar of the crowd could be heard from all the way inside the building, and the hype surrounding this game was only adding to Damon's nerves.

"Listen to me," Coach Tanner ordered, his eyes raking the team as they stood in a huddle. "You guys have worked hard, you deserve this – The Cornerstone Crows have _nothing_on us Timberwolves!" His eyes locked with Damon's. "Captain Salvatore – anything you'd like to add?"

Damon looked nervously at his teammates before his gaze locked with Stefan's. With an encouraging nod from his little brother, Damon forced his million dollar smile. "Kicking ass pretty much guarantees you'll get some ass later – so don't suck, alright?"

"He's no motivational speaker but he's right," Mason admits.

Stefan shook his head in amusement. "Enough with the pillow talk. We have a game to win; Timberwolves on three! One, two, three - "

_"Timberwolves!"_

* * *

><p><strong><em>please leave a review<em>**


	5. Tonight, We Are Young

**Author's Note: **There are literally no words to express how freaking happy I am that I finished this chapter. This has been weighing heavily on me for weeks now, and I've been dying to update but I haven't been able too. I'm so happy to finally get this out to you guys. I want to thank each and every one of you for your constant patience and support, it really means the world to me. We've made it to five chapters with almost fifty reviews and I'm pretty sure that's a record for me so thank you! Every review/alert/favorite puts a smile on my face and I so greatly appreciate it. I love you all. Thank you, thank you, thank you! *hugs*

* * *

><p><em><strong>Tonight we are young<strong>_  
><em><strong>So let's set the world on fire,<br>We can burn brighter than the sun**_  
><em><strong>So if by the time the bar closes<br>and you feel like falling down**_  
><em><strong>I'll carry you home tonight<strong>_

The next few hours flew by in no time and before they knew it, game time was upon them. The atmosphere was thick with excitement and anticipation, heavily tainted with anxiety and apprehension. Almost the entire school and then some were seated amongst the rows of bleachers in hopes to show their support. Home-made banners and flags were being held up by dedicated family members and devoted friends. The roar of the crowd could be heard from all the way inside the building, the hype surrounding the game doing nothing but add to the team's nerves. The excitement was a nice contrast to the tension-filled locker room.

"Listen to me," Coach Tanner said as the team was brought in for a group huddle. In all the years they've played football with and for Coach Tanner, it felt like for once he was on their side proudly encouraging them rather than bruising their egos with discouragement. "You guys have worked hard, you deserve this! The Cornerstone Crows have _nothing _on you, Timberwolves! Before we go, is there anything you'd like to add, Captain?"

Damon took a deep breath and looked at each and every one of his teammates before his gaze locked with the most important teammate of all – Stefan; with an encouraging nod from him, Damon was able to smile and breathe long enough to say some words that he hoped would get the team through at least the first quarter. "Not really, Coach except that kicking ass at this game pretty much guarantees you'll get some ass later, so don't blow it alright?"

Damon and Mason haven't always been on the best of terms, but Mason must have found relevance in the captain's words of wisdom to agree. "Well Salvatore, you're no motivational speaker but I'm gonna have to agree with you on this one."

Tyler chuckled. "I don't know, that's the best motivational speech I've ever heard."

"Enough with the pillow talk," Stefan said curtly, shaking his head in both amusement and embarrassment. He's never been one for crass conversation, and all he really wanted to do was get this game over with, for both his sake and for Damon's. "We have a game to win. Timberwolves on three; one, two, three…"

"Timberwolves!"

Let the games begin.

* * *

><p>Coach Tanner has been and probably always will be arguably one of the most hated teachers in the entire school, but somewhere within the first twenty minutes of the game, the entire team discovered a newfound respect and appreciation for him. He certainly wasn't the easiest guy to get along with or the greatest guy to be around, but he was damn good at his job.<p>

Every grueling practice and all the burned out muscles and exhausting exercises was well worth it because at the end of it all, he really was helping the team in his own Tanner way. He was a single guy that's never been married and he didn't have any kids so in a lot of ways, the team was his family and at the end of the day, he would protect his family. Like a family, when the team played out on the field, he always hoped for the best but prepared them for the worst – and when the Cornerstone Crows brought their A game, the Timberwolves were ready.

Everyone has been waiting weeks for this game and the team has worked their asses off but from the minute the game officially started, Damon found himself counting down the minutes until it would be over. He prided himself on almost always being cool as a cucumber, calm in a crisis and he was the guy that didn't back down from a fight but tonight that's all he wanted to do.

Tonight, he wanted to back down from the fight of the game and surrender. For the first time since the beginning of the school year, he could feel the full weight of the game on his shoulders. All the hopeful glances from family and friends in the stands did nothing but feed the fire that would eventually burn him.

It soon became painfully obvious that the first quarter goes to the Crows and the referee was quick to call half-time while Tanner ripped him a new one – in front of everyone. "I'm sorry, but is this game boring you because from over here, it looks to me like you'd rather be doing anything else than being a captain to your team and winning this game! Hell, if I knew you were gonna suck this bad, I would've gotten Lockwood to spearhead the team. I would have picked Lockwood over you for captain. What the hell does that say about you and your piss-poor effort?"

"Actually coach if you chose Lockwood over anyone, I think that would say more about your bad judgment than it would about me."

"Watch it, Salvatore," he warned through gritted teeth.

"Is there a problem, Coach?" Stefan asked innocently, taking a stand beside Damon.

"Not at all," he smiled sweetly. "I was just telling Damon to pull his head out of his ass and win this game or so help me, my temper will make me look like the freaking tooth fairy in comparison to what will happen if you lose, are we clear?"

"Crystal."

"Now get your act together – both of you."

"Damon, what's going on with you?" Stefan asked tentatively once they were alone.

Normally, Damon would have used this opportunity to insert some snarky comment or witty retort but he was too drained to do anything but tell the truth. He looked up at Stefan, his gaze becoming distant as he watched the cheerleaders prance around the sidelines. "Plain and simple, my heart's not in it. I know it should be and I know a lot is riding on this game but I'm tired, Stefan. I'm really, really tired."

Elena must have felt his gaze on her, distant as it was, because after he finished saying that, she turned around and their eyes locked. In that moment, like magic, Damon felt any and all anxiety dissipate from his body. She smiled at him from across the field, an honest to god '_you can do this' _smile and for some reason he couldn't even begin to understand, he felt okay.

He remembered their conversation from earlier, and a smile of his own found itself on his face.

"_Not that I think you need it – but good luck at the game tonight. For whatever it's worth, there's one cheerleader in your corner. I mean, I know you have Katherine and Andie and rumor had it once Caroline – "_

"_Yeah, I have a bit of a track record."_

"_What I mean is that – you have me. As a friend, you have me."_

Damon and Elena didn't know each other from a hole in the wall, but somewhere along the way, he found a level of comfort from having her in his corner than he had from anyone else. He didn't know why, but she made him want to try harder and succeed – she made him want to be better.

And just like that, his heart was back where it belonged – in the game.

The heavy exhaustion and pressure that weighed on Damon like the world was on his shoulders evaporated immediately after he found his epiphany. Sometime during the second and final quarter of the game, everything turned on its head. The Crows were quickly advancing on him but he took the ball and ran like a bat out of hell down the field. He had to give them credit, the Crows were pretty fast but Damon was faster – and better. He made the last play and threw the ball into the night sky. The crowd came alive with pride and relief as they watched their hometown hero score the winning touchdown.

All the cheerleaders rightfully erupted into cheers of pride and passion, picking up their pom-poms and parading around the team, smiles and laughter falling from their lips and seeping into songs of celebration. The win had everyone in the stands jumping for joy and hugging one another as the Crows walked off the field in defeat.

In the midst of all the excitement, Damon found himself caught in an embrace with Katherine. "Well Damon, it seems as though you did what you do best – you scored. I have to admit it seemed pretty touch and go for a while but you did it. You won." Their eyes locked and he watched something shift behind her dark brown eyes and just like that, her demeanor changed from appropriate to sultry. She moved towards him, her cheek brushing against his as she whispered in his ear. "Now what do you think about getting out of here and maybe you can hit the jackpot."

He would be lying if he said he didn't think about taking Katherine up on her offer at least once – or twice – or three times but at the end of the day, she was still the manipulative bitch that walked out on him a year ago and left him to pick up the pieces of who she broke. "Sorry Katherine," he shrugged, taking a step back. "You just don't do it for me anymore."

There was nothing Katherine hated more than losing, and she felt like screaming at the mere thought of no longer being Damon's one and only love. "I call bull."

"Call it whatever you want but I'm done, Katherine. We're done."

"Ugh, Damon!" she called after him. "Don't do that, don't walk away – "

"Why?" Damon cut her off, spinning on his heels and glaring at her. Katherine left town without so much as a word goodbye, and he never got the answers he thought he deserved. It wasn't the time or the place, but etiquette has never been his strong suit, so he could really care less that they're standing in the middle of a football field. "Why can't I walk away? You did." And with that, he did what he intended to do the minute he ever saw her again. He walked away.

On the other side of the field, Elena had to look away from the train-wreck that unfolded in front of her eyes when Caroline started on another one of her tangents. "It's about time the bitch gets the cold shoulder," Caroline squealed as she threw on a sweater and stuffed everything else in her bag. "Anyways, we want to get to the party fashionably late so I say let's go to my house, we can shower and get dressed up because no offense but we smell like the gym on the first day of school and then like Stella, we can get our groove on."

Elena frowned in confusion, Katherine and Damon moving to the back of her mind. "Wait – what party? I never said I was going to a party."

"Oh yeah, I didn't bother asking because whether you like it or not, you're going. It's your first party in Mystic Falls and the biggest one of the month, you have to go!"

Bonnie shook her head before objecting. "It's not her first party. Remember there was that small party at Stefan's when we all had to practice for tonight's game?"

She thought for a moment before shaking her head. "Oh please," Caroline scoffed. "That wasn't a party; that was just some stupid get together to practice for tonight's game which by the way, we _won_ and that means party. We party when we lose and we party harder when we win. You're one of us now, 'Lena. You can't be socially inept anymore."

Elena folded her arms and quipped, "I am _not _socially inept!"

"Whoa, back up for a minute," Bonnie said, looking at Caroline. "Socially inept?"

"Yeah," Caroline smiled brightly. "It's from my word of the day calendar."

"Oh my god," Bonnie whispered, touching her heart. "This must be how moms feel on their kids first day of kindergarten."

"Ha-ha," she deadpanned before turning towards Elena. "Let me put it this way, either you come to the party or I'll do my best impersonation of the Queen of Hearts. _Off with your head,_ got it?"

With an encouraging smile from Bonnie, Elena finally relented much to Caroline's delight. "Fine, but I'll have to meet you there because I have to go home first. I'll see you in a few hours."

* * *

><p>Elena was by no means a stranger to partying. When she had lived in Roanoke, she attended parties almost every other weekend. She was the captain of the cheerleading squad and student body president for the junior classes at her school so she was the definition of popular. If there was a party, she was the first to know and the first to be invited.<p>

In spite of her popularity, Elena never once let it go to her head. All her life she's been down to earth and kind-hearted, something that all the popularity in the world wouldn't change so she kept herself grounded; she tutored students after school, volunteered at the soup kitchen and nursing homes every other weekend. Elena was good.

Like Mystic Falls, Roanoke was a small town and everybody knew everything about everybody. By the time she got to the Salvatore's, the party was in full swing. All around her people were celebrating the Timberwolves victory; people danced the night away, singing loudly and off-key to the loud music that emanated throughout the large house, and although the party started less than two hours ago, there were some freshman already passed out drunk on the front lawn.

When she finally made it past the drunk and sweaty throng of people that took up most of the living room, she found Bonnie and Caroline in the back yard. Caroline immediately threw her hands up in the air out of excitement before capturing Elena in a big bear hug. "Oh, look who's here! It's Elena, my new best friend!" she sing-songed. "You know what they say, best friends that party together stay together and I'm _so _happy you decided to come after all!"

"You threatened to off her, it's not like she had much of a choice," Bonnie said dryly before turning towards Elena. "Stefan's been manning the refreshment table and that means she needs a refill every time her cup gets to the half-way point. She was drunk within the first hour of getting here."

"I am _not_ drunk, you're just sober!"

Bonnie rolled her eyes and bitterly said, "Yeah well one of us has to be under the influence of sobriety and since you blew all your money on new shoes for tonight, I'm the designated driver that's responsible for getting your drunken ass home."

Caroline rolled her eyes indignantly. "Whatever, if you're gonna be such a bitch about it then I'll just get _Elena _to take me home. _She _probably doesn't drive like an old lady!" Unfortunately, when Elena had voiced that she doesn't drive at all, that was the tip of the drunk-iceberg for Caroline, leading to the stomping of her feet like a petulant child. "Ugh, why does everything bad happen to me?"

"Well you know what they say," Damon said, smoothly inserting himself into the conversation. "Bad things happen to superficial people."

"Then I guess it's only a matter of time before you go and get hit by a bus," Bonnie growled.

He sighed heavily and gestured to the space between them, his eyes lighting up with mischief. "The sexual tension between us must be killing you."

"You know, I almost wish it would because then I wouldn't stand here talking to you."

"Ugh, you're so mean to me!" Damon whined playfully.

"Uh, have you met you?" Lexi asked, joining the group with Stefan in tow. Lexi met Stefan their first day of freshman year and they've been best friends ever since. She learned long ago that Stefan and Damon were somewhat of a package deal and you can't be in one's life without tolerating the other but that was the extent of her relationship with Damon. Toleration. "You're not a nice person."

Stefan chuckled before shaking his head at his brother. "Damon, I told you to stop pissing off all the cheerleaders. We need them."

"Not all of the cheerleaders hate me," Damon said proudly. "Just a select few. Others find me quite pleasant, isn't that right Elena?"

Elena rolled her eyes at his attempt to drag her into something that started long before she moved to town. "Oh no, no. I'm staying out of it."

"Well if it isn't my tutor, the coward," Damon sing-songed.

"And if it isn't my student, the ass," she easily retorted.

"I bet you love my ass - most women do."

Elena rolled her eyes. "Wow, cocky much?"

"Very much," Damon smirked. "Just ask Caroline."

"Ugh! I hate all of you!" Caroline whined before stomping off, Bonnie and Lexi in tow, Stefan being led out of the room by some of his friends only moments later.

Elena looked up at Damon, her eyes locking with his. "Damon."

He was unsure if she said his name as a question or simply a statement, so he recited her name in the same fashion. "Elena."

"You need to stop being such an ass to my friends."

He blinked in surprise, her words rooting him to the spot, plaguing him with an emotion he couldn't identify. The defiance in her subtle demand was shocking; he could sense a challenge beneath her words if he were to defy her and it was a sweet shock. Everyone that knew Damon either worshipped at his altar or hated him with every fiber of their being but Elena was different. Elena was exciting and refreshing and _new_.

She only moved to town less than three months ago and already she was defending Bonnie and Caroline and Lexi as if she's been friends with them her entire life. He found her loyalty incredibly admirable; no matter how fresh the relationship, he was discovering that her loyalty ran fierce and deep, a highly respected feat.

In the small amount of time that he's known her, Damon was coming to realize that Elena could be the sweet balance between love and hate that he didn't know he needed or maybe even craved from people. His lips pulled up into a smirk at the thought, his cobalt eyes flashing mischievously in the process. "Elena Gilbert, are you lecturing me?"

"Well that depends," she said, playfully putting her hand on her hip. "Do you need to be lectured?"

"Are you always this condescending?"

"Are you always this deflective?" she retorted with a small laugh.

"I like you," Damon announced suddenly. "You know how to laugh."

Elena couldn't help but smile again, her gaze becoming nostalgic as she remembered a time where all she did was laugh. "I think you would have liked the old me," she admits shyly. "She laughed a lot. I used to be more fun."

The air shifted between them and Damon swallowed thickly. "Yeah? What happened to her?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "The same thing that happens to everyone."

"So you've been so bent on someone just to have your heart ripped out by them?" he mused playfully. Damon said it all in the spirit of light-heartedness but she could feel the weight behind his words and her heart went out to him. Katherine really did a number on him, and even if he was a first rate jack-ass, no one deserved to feel that.

"I've never been in love. I've been loved and I've loved, but I've never been in love but I've lost and," she sighed, gently placing her hand on his arm. "I wouldn't - I wouldn't wish that pain on anyone."

Damon glanced down at her hand on his arm before she shrugged it off, nervously tucking her hair behind her ear and blushing; Damon smirked in amusement and cleared his throat before he finally found his voice. "Good, it's a waste of time. It's painful, pointless and overrated - and nothing like in the movies."

"I'm sorry," Elena said suddenly. Her chocolate brown eyes were wide with sincerity as she looked up at him, a soft smile on her face. "About Katherine, I'm sorry and for whatever it's worth, Damon - I don't think she knew you. I don't think she knew you because if she _did_ know you, I don't think she would have walked away from you. I don't think she would have been able to."

Elena was smiling so softly at him and spoke with such sincerity, he didn't know what to do with himself or the level of kindness she showed him. Everything happened so quickly he didn't know who made the first move but suddenly, his lips claimed hers in a searing kiss that instantly had him wanting more but with two people, one is always thinking more than the other and unsurprisingly, Elena stopped the kiss because there's no way in hell he was going to.

"Damon," she whimpered against his lips, her voice barely above a whisper. Her breathing was labored as she looked up at him through hooded eyes, confusion evident in her gaze. "Damon. I - I don't - "

"I'm sorry," he whispered, lowering his forehead to hers. "I'm sorry."

She shook her head and smiled. "No don't - don't be sorry. It's okay. Listen uh, I should probably go find Caroline, she's bound to be throwing a hissy fit somewhere," she laughed, nervously running her fingers through her hair. "I'll uhm, I'll see you around. Goodnight, Damon."

He smiled tightly. "Goodnight, Elena."

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><p><em><strong>please leave a review<strong>_


	6. The Tide That Left & Never Came Back

**Author's Note: **Thank you so much for all the wonderfully positive reviews on the last chapter. There was one review that I'd like to address, a question asked by an anonymous guest. "Are you going to continue your "Married Life" story?" My answer is yes, I am eventually going to continue that story - hopefully sooner rather than later. On another note, I love you all and I can't wait to hear what you guys think of this chapter!

* * *

><p><strong><em>Though my memory's fading<br>it's you that I find  
>If only you could stay<br>and not leave me behind_**

Damon was greeted by Stefan the next morning as they quietly sat in the kitchen and munched on their respective breakfasts. "I didn't see very much of you at the party, I thought maybe Lee had finally gotten his hands on you and you might have been lying in a ditch somewhere or something so what happened to you?"

"I'm afraid you're gonna have to be a _bit_ more specific, lots of things happened to me last night. I was with Andie for most of the night."

"Okay, let me clarify. What happened with you and Elena last night?"

He was wildly unsure of where things stood with him and Elena after she ran out on their kiss last night, and this really wasn't a conversation he wanted to have with Stefan so early in the morning – if ever, so he decided playing dumb would be his best bet to evade this conversation. "What do you mean? Nothing happened."

"I found her by herself in the library after you guys talked and when I asked her what was wrong she said she was fine and that she was just tired but I kind of got the feeling there was something she wasn't saying so I was just wondering if she said anything to you."

"Well I don't know. She seemed fine when I talked to her. Anyways, why are you asking me? I'm not a chick and I'm not her boyfriend," Damon barked.

His quip was met with silence and he looked up just in time to see Stefan visibly flinch at the hardness of his words. It took everything he had not to admit the kiss right then and there. If it were anyone else, he would probably be bragging by now. Elena was funny, smart, beautiful and genuine – and those were all the reasons why he wouldn't dare exploit her.

Whatever he had with Elena, it was new and vulnerable and he wanted to protect it – _protect her. _She fearfully walked away for a reason, and he wasn't about to jeopardize whatever friendship they have or could have by blabbing about what transpired between them to the first person who would listen. He just wouldn't do that to her.

Stefan recovered quickly and went on hesitantly. "Yeah I know you're not but the two of you are friends and she's your tutor and, I don't know – I just thought that if something was up, she might have confided in you, that's all."

"I'm sure she's fine, Stefan," Damon assumed reassuringly.

"Yeah, you're probably right. I just wanted to make sure."

Damon playfully rolled his eyes and joked, "Why do you care so much, anyway? Do you like her or something?" When what was supposed to be a good-natured, rhetorical question was answered with nothing but silence, Damon quickly felt something heavy settle in the pit of his stomach. Realization hit him like a ton of bricks as he gauged his brother's reaction. "Oh."

Stefan folded his arms across his chest and glared at his brother incredulously. "Well, go ahead. Do your thing. Make your jokes. Laugh."

"It's not funny."

"What?"

Damon shook his head and smiled wryly. "It's nothing. Listen, I'm gonna go and have a shower then I think I'm gonna head out for the day. I'll talk to you later."

In less than an hour, Mystic Falls was in Damon's rearview mirror.

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><p>He had no conscious intention to take the drive to Richmond today, but as he drove down the highway, and found himself getting off on the familiar ramp that would take him where he needs to be, he just couldn't turn back. Not again.<p>

The drive itself was relaxing and familiar; it's a connection of roads he knows too well, a connection of roads he has travelled far too often yet not often enough. Damon and his beloved, vintage mustang know the roads like the back of his hand, like every square inch of Mystic High's football field. He found it most beautiful and calming in the summer, when the dusty back roads are surrounded by nothing but treed lots. He always takes the drive with the top down, classic rock songs blaring through the speakers. Sometimes Stefan would accompany him and on the rare occasion, the boys would take the drive with their father but for the most part, it was just easier to go alone.

It didn't really matter either way; it's painful just the same.

In less than two hours after ditching town for the day, he found himself parking in front of the building that haunts him. It wasn't the first time he'd been there, but it was still one time too many so he sat in his car for half an hour before he found the courage and energy to put on a charade, plaster on his best game face and enter the facility that is his own personal hell.

As he stepped over the threshold and walked through the doors that separate the real world and _her_ world, feelings of hopelessness and sadness immediately wash over like a tidal wave as he's greeted with the same neutral colored walls, plush carpeting and quiet patients.

Damon turned around just in time to see Ruthanne halfway down the hall, a wide smile on her wrinkled features. Even with the distance between them, he could see her eyes light with joy behind her crooked glasses. Ruthanne was the eldest, most respected and loved nurse on staff, aged somewhere in her late sixties but she was a firecracker. Aside from the occasional flirtatious comment, she easily reminded Damon of the grandmother he and Stefan never had.

"I think my old eyes must be playing tricks on me because if I'm not mistaken, Damon Salvatore has finally come to pay his favorite lady a visit." His lips pulled up into a shy smile as he made his way over to her. She straightened her glasses and he watched the realization settle on her features. "Well slap my knee and call me Judy, here he is! Boy oh boy, I sure am happy to see you."

"Most people usually are." Damon grinned and wrapped his arms around the rather plump lady. "It's good to see you too, Ruth. I know I haven't been around as much as I should but I've been really busy with school and football and well, you know."

He immediately regretted the words once they were said and while they weren't exactly a lie, it wasn't the entire truth. Damon was granted a reasonable amount of time to spare between school and football, time that he usually spent with his flavor of the week or partying with his friends. Regardless, it was time he wasted avoiding the unavoidable. This place followed him everywhere he went. It haunted his dreams, plagued his thoughts and tainted his future.

This place was a part of him now, and it has been for the past five years of his life.

"Oh, excuses! You sure know how to make a lady feel cheap, young man. The last time you were hear I snuck you the very best batch of my special peanut butter cookies, I feed you then you're gone. I see neither hide nor hair of you for weeks – months even! You ought to be ashamed of yourself. No more cookies for you."

He gasped dramatically. "How will I ever go on?"

"Hopefully you won't." Damon looked up just as Nina approached them, her long blonde hair falling in waves around her shoulders, her dull blue eyes darkening with lust, a sultry smile pulling on her lips. "Would you look at what the cat dragged in, where have you been? Oh no wait, let me guess – chasing tail like the dog you are."

Damon's lips pulled up into a not-so-innocent grin as his cobalt eyes flashed mischievously. "Well, I haven't gotten any complaints before," he murmured quietly, voice thick with implication. Damon had a fling with Nina during the summer of his sophomore year; it was brief and like all his other flings, it didn't mean anything. At least, it didn't mean anything to him. "And what's with all of these animal analogies? Have you developed a new fetish you'd like to share with us?"

With a controlled smile, she asked through gritted teeth, "How's Stefan? What's he been up to?"

"_What's my baby brother been up to? You mean other than falling in love with Elena?"_ Damon thought bitterly. Nina was gauging his reaction and so he recovered quickly and answered, "Oh you know, same old Stefan – boring and broody."

"Yeah well it certainly beats being out of control, pushy and arrogant."

Ruth inhaled deeply, a cheeky grin on her features. "Oh my, the two of you are so adorable! Has anyone ever told you that you'd make the cutest pair?"

"Grandma!" Nina gasped.

"I'm sorry Ruth but I've already been there," Damon said as his eyes shamelessly caressed Nina's body. His lips pulled up into a seductive and mischievous grin before he added, "And I've already done that. Twice."

"And I don't make the same mistake – twice." Ruth simply rolled her eyes and politely excused herself to check up on a patient while Nina picked a chart off the counter and began making notes. Several minutes passed and she looked up from the chart, her eyes narrowed in suspicion. "What, did you come here for another round or just my good company?"

"No thank you," he dismissed politely, a tight grin on his face. "I'm just, you know – biding my time I guess."

Bringing the chart to her chest, her features softened as she sighed heavily. "She's doing much better, in case you were wondering. She's taken up painting again, and the CD you brought for her really calms her down when she's – well, when she's having an episode. So for the most part, she seems happy."

"Yeah," Damon scoffed. "Right."

"I'm serious."

He gestured to their surroundings and barked, "Who would be happy here?"

"The people that don't know anything different anymore, that's who would be happy here." She glanced at him one more time before disappearing behind a door in the nurses station, leaving Damon alone with his thoughts.

He should be happy that she's happy here. He should be over the moon that she's so well adjusted, that she's made this place her home but he can't feel anything but sad because this isn't her home. Her home is in Mystic Falls. Her home is with him and Stefan and Giuseppe. Her home is his home.

Before he could stop himself, his feet were mindlessly carrying him through the hallways he's wandered aimlessly through so many times before. He stopped just outside her room to hover in the doorway and watched her for a few moments before nervously shoving his hands in his pockets and clearing his throat.

She looked up from her knitting, a wide and welcoming smile on her soft features at the sight of him. There's a small part of him, a part so small that sometimes he can't find it himself that holds onto the hope that one day all of this will just be a bad memory.

He hovered in the doorway for several minutes and waited for the recognition to settle in her eyes, for the light to go on in her head that reminds her exactly who he is – who he is to her, and who she is to him. But it doesn't. The recognition doesn't settle, the light doesn't go on and just like that, he's reminded that today is just like every other day. He's just another stranger. "Hey, it's nice to meet you. I'm Damon."

She flashed him another smile and nodded in acknowledgment as she stood up. It was the same smile that used to wash all his doubts and worries away, the same smile that would promise him a world where she'd always be there for him – a world he no longer knows. "Well it's very nice to meet you, Damon. I'm Amelia James."

"Amelia," he repeated quietly, smiling softly. He smiled back at her and for the briefest second, he thought that she may know him. But then a startled gasp escapes her lips and her light blue eyes with specks of emerald widen in complete and utter embarrassment and just like that, he knew that she didn't know him at all.

"I wish someone had told me you were coming, I would have tied up and – oh no, I must look awful! I was just taking a walk through the gardens when I decided to sit down and catch up on some reading. I must've fallen asleep in the yard and oh – my mother will be so furious with me, this is my best Sunday dress!"

He watched with sadness in his heart as she brushed at her sides as if dusting dirt from the pretty Sunday dress she thought she was wearing.

Her words pained him in a way that nothing else ever has and nothing else ever could because she wasn't reading in the gardens and there is not a speck of dirt on her dress – she isn't even wearing a dress, just pants and her favorite sweater – her Saturday sweater. It was only moments ago that she was sitting on the loveseat in her room, humming quietly to herself a tune that now makes his heart ache.

He could see her face beginning to flush with embarrassment so Damon quickly reached out and took her soft hands in his own and smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry about it, I think you look beautiful."

She looked relieved when she sighed. "Oh, you're such a gentleman. Hey, would you like to join me for some afternoon tea? My mother, Ruthanne makes the most delicious tea and cookies!"

"Well, I'm powerless before tea and cookies," Damon said, taking a seat in one of the extra chairs. No less than ten minutes later, Ruthanne was pouring tea for the pair, a soft and sympathetic smile etched on her face. It wasn't the first time that someone has ever looked at him like that, looked at him with pity and sympathy in their eyes and it certainly wouldn't be the last, no matter how much he hated it.

It's been nearly two months since the last time he made the drive to visit her and while life does go on outside the four walls of her room, nothing has changed since he stepped through that door. Nothing ever changes around here there is a small part of him that is thankful for that.

They slip into ordinary small talk about nothing in particular, but it eases the burning ache in his chest ever so slightly. Amelia is a lot of things; funny and honest, caring and sensitive, lovely and wonderful and up until now, Damon didn't realize how much he's missed her these past two months.

"So, are you gonna eat that?" Damon gestured to the last cookie on the plate.

He watched as her eyes swept the room suspiciously before leaning towards him. She must have realized it was just the two of them because her face lit up with a childish and conspiratorial grin. "I'll make you a deal. You can have the last cookie if you can keep a secret."

"Well I don't mean to brag or anything but if there was an award or a medal for keeping secrets, I think I would win," he admitted, shoving the cookie in his mouth. She quickly held her arm up, her hand hovering between their faces, her pinky finger extended towards him. He couldn't stop himself from laughing as he rolled his eyes. "Seriously? You want to pinky swear?"

"Yes, do you promise?"

Damon felt his face stretch into a smile before he sighed dramatically. "Yeah, I promise." He wound his pinky through hers and they kissed their hands, eternally binding the promise. "Well, don't leave me hanging – what's the big secret?"

"Giuseppe asked me to marry him!" Amelia exclaimed happily, throwing her hands in the air.

He laughed at her enthusiasm. "And what did you say to that?"

"Well I said yes, of course!" She rolled her eyes and extended her left hand. Her eyes land on the gold band that comfortably sits on her ring finger. He smiles at the familiar picture because although her mind is everywhere, her heart is the same. Her secret allows him to discover where she is now.

It's the year 1967. She is sixteen years old, his father is nineteen and they are hopelessly in love.

"I'm happy for you," Damon smiled.

"I'm happy for me too."

"I have to ask, what did your parents say about your upcoming nuptials?"

"They say I'm too young and you know what, maybe they're right. Maybe I am too young and maybe I don't know what love is but isn't that my mistake to make because if it is, I know Giuseppe Salvatore will be my favorite mistake! He's the love of my life, I just know it and whether I'm sixteen years old or sixty, I will never love another man as much as I love him."

"It must be nice to be so sure about something – to be so sure about someone."

"Oh, it's wonderful. I can only hope that one day, when my children are all grown up and ready to go out into the world, they are lucky enough to find someone to share their lives with, as I have found Giuseppe."

"Wow, you're not even married and already you're talking about kids? Does Giuseppe know what he's gotten himself into?"

"Yes." With wonderful conviction, she smiled and said, "He's found someone who will love him forever."

Damon smiled and he could feel his curiosity getting the better of him. He wanted to hear the story of how they met, how they fell in love. Every time she tells the story of Giuseppe and Amelia, there is an inherent spark of light, hope and love that floods her gaze, lights up her face and brightens her smile. She was always so full of beauty and wonder when she dreamed about her future.

"Can I ask you something?"

Amelia smiled. "I'm an open book."

"How do you know?"

"How do I know what?"

"You and Giuseppe - how do you know that he's the one?"

"Giuseppe, he – he makes my world stop. I know that sounds immature and juvenile and I'm not saying that he's my whole world, because nothing is certain and I'm not saying that I can't live without him because I'm sure I could. I lived without him before, when I didn't now there was a him to live without and I did just fine but things are different now so it's not that I can't live without him. I'm sure I can, I just don't want to. I don't want to live without him or be without him. He makes everything better – he makes me better. That's how I know he's the one – because I'm better for having known him."

"Mo - Amelia, you deserve all the happiness in the world and I wish nothing but the best for you."

She softly replied, "Thank you, Damon."

The tension and weight in the air quickly dissipated and something shifted between them. They were no longer strangers, they were now friends. Damon stayed for a couple more hours after that, talking and laughing about everything and nothing. He was just about to finish reading Chapter 2 aloud of their mutual favorite book when Ruthanne poked her head in, a soft smile on her face. "I'm sorry to interrupt but I'm afraid visiting hours are over."

"Already?" Amelia pouted. "But it seems like he just got here, can't he stay just a little bit longer? Please?"

"I'd make an exception if I could but you know the rules, doll. I'm sorry but it's time to say goodbye." She politely excused herself again and Amelia folded her arms across her chest and pouted like a petulant child. It would have been childish if she weren't a sixteen year old girl trapped inside a middle-aged woman's body.

Once they stood up, Damon wrapped his arms around her thin shoulders and pulled her against him. He could feel the tears building in his eyes but he squeezed them shut and fought them back. He would not cry. Not here, not now.

She pulled away from his embrace and smiled up at him, the emerald in her light blue eyes sparkling as the evening sun filtered through the windows. He was halfway out the door when she called him back, "Will you come back again soon, I want you to meet my Giuseppe." His voice caught in the back of his throat as he looked at the adoration reflected in her eyes. Unable to speak, he fished his keys out of his jacket and spared her one last smile before walking out of her room and out of the building.

He made it all the way back to his car before finally allowing a few tears to escape his eyes. He allowed himself a moment or two of solace before he pulled himself together and started up the engine. When he pulled out of the parking lot, he sighed heavily and whispered, "I love you, Mom. I'll see you soon," as he put Richmond in his rear view mirror.

As Damon drove back to Mystic Falls, he thought about everything that happened these past two days and for the first time, he felt everything weighing on him. He should have been dead on his feet from all the excitement but when he woke up that morning, all he could feel was alive. Winning the homecoming football game in combination with throwing a victorious rager afterwards was absolutely exhilarating, and he should have come down from his high but he didn't - and he knows it was all because of Elena.

"_I'm sorry. About Katherine, I'm sorry and for whatever it's worth, Damon - I don't think she knew you. I don't think she knew you because if she did know you, I don't think she would have walked away from you. I don't think she would have been able to."_

Her words were very soft spoken and incredibly gentle but they pierced through his brain and ricocheted like a bullet. He knew from the very beginning that Elena was unlike every other girl, so much so that he would almost feel guilty for even trying to compare her to other girls. She had something about her that was so different – so wonderfully unique and distinctly beautiful that had him wanting to _know _her – really know her.

He's always followed his heart, consequences be damned. That's what he did last night, and that's what he found himself wanting to do all over again, a thousand times over. Damon's kissed dozens of girls before, _been _with dozens of girl before yet kissing Elena had sparked something in him that he never felt before, something he didn't think existed. It was something he yearned to feel over and over again. Her lips on his were absolutely exhilarating, a high like no other and for every second that it lasted, he couldn't understand why anyone ever does drugs.

But as he crashed and burned, all that remained was Damon and his thoughts and realizations that Stefan was falling in love with Elena and Damon was falling into unknown territory with Elena.

He was so screwed. Totally and completely screwed.

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><p><em><strong>please leave a review, thanks for reading!<strong>_


	7. Taking Chances

Author's Note: Has it really been six months since I've last updated this story? Wow, that's way too long. I don't know what happened, to be honest. I haven't updated any of my Damon/Elena fics. I haven't had the inspiration (despite the perfection we've been getting on the show. I can't wait to see what happens next). Anyways, here it is - the update you've all been waiting for. I'm really sorry for the long wait. I'm sincerely hoping the next update won't be as far away, but for now, I leave you this. Thank you so much for all the love and support I've gotten. Each review you leave me warms my heart and makes me feel like I'm not only writing for me, but writing for you as well. I have a lot of plans to take this story to the next step, it's only a matter of getting my words out on the page. Please leave a review, and Happy Valentine's Day!

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><p><strong><em>I just want to start again<br>and maybe you could show me how to try  
>and maybe you could take me in<br>somewhere underneath your skin?_**

Elena and Jeremy had been watching bad TV in the living room when Jenna suddenly came bounding down the stairs with a board game tucked underneath her arm. Dread instantly washed over the Gilbert siblings as soon as her face came into view: it was the same look their mom used to get whenever she was about to suggest family bonding time. And while normally, Elena wasn't opposed to spending quality time with her brother and aunt, right now she wasn't in the mood to do anything other than sit around and sulk.

She felt like she was going crazy. Damon was on her mind everyday for the past two days. Everyday. No matter what she did or who she talked to, her thoughts always found a way back to him. She hated feeling this way, so out of control. More than that, she hated that a guy could make her feel this way. She hated that with one kiss, Damon Salvatore suddenly had all this power over her and she had no idea how to take it back. But even if she could take that power back, she wasn't so sure that she wanted to.

"Okay you two, hop out of your sullen moods and put on your game faces because we're gonna play some Scrabble," Jenna announced, showing off the game. Jeremy groaned in annoyance as he and Elena watched Jenna enthusiastically clear the coffee table free of its contents before setting up the board. "Come on, pick your letters so we can get this show on the road."

"I'm not in the mood to play a stupid board game." Jeremy was fifteen, so at this point in his life, he thought everything that wasn't alcohol and drugs, girls or video games were stupid. She wasn't in the mood to play a game either, but it's been a while since they've spent quality time together as a family so Elena was willing to set aside an hour or so to Scrabble. "I always lose anyway so what's the point?"

"You don't always lose." Jenna smiled encouragingly, handing over the bag of letters to Elena. "And the point is that it's been a while since we've spent some quality time together so we're gonna sit here, play some Scrabble, eat some pizza and you're gonna like it. Understood?"

Jeremy rolled his eyes and folded his arms across his chest in defiance, retreating further into the couch. "You can't make me play. It's against civil rights or something."

"How would you know?" Elena teased. "You haven't even been going to your history class."

"Because my teacher is a total douche." Alaric Saltzman was the history teacher for the junior and senior classes, leaving the freshman and sophomores to deal with Coach Tanner.

"Don't say douche," Jenna admonished. "And we'll talk about your attendance later but you're right, I can't make you play."

"Thank you," Jeremy said, proudly getting up from the couch.

"But I can take away your video game privileges for the rest of the weekend."

"I really don't like you right now." Jeremy finally relented when Elena dangled the bag of letters in front of his face again, grabbing it from her grasp and reluctantly taking out the little wooden squares for the game. "Will you at least let me have a beer to get me through this stupid game? It's only fair."

Jeremy asked the question lightheartedly, but Elena could hear the legitmate wonder behind his words and it scared her.

"That's a good idea, then we could all go get tattoos!" Jenna quipped sarcastically, ending Elena's worriment. "You can't have beer, not under my roof but you can pitch in five bucks for the pizza that's on it's way."

"You ordered pizza?" Elena exchanged looks of confusion with her brother as Jenna nodded her head absentmindedly, rearranging her letters on the holder. Initially confused by her odd behavior, realization dawned on Elena when her aunt began humming. She threw her hands up in the air and declared, "I knew it! You met a guy!"

Jenna rolled her eyes in mock annoyance. "Oh, so now I can't be in a good mod without the two of you thinking I met someone? I'll have you know that I am very capable of being on my own. I'm a very independent woman — "

"That doesn't need a man to complete her." Elena and Jeremy finished Jenna's sentence simultaneously before breaking into peals of laughter. It was her cliche "I don't need a man" speech and if it weren't for the fact that she had just been humming show tunes, they might have taken her word for it and moved on.

"So what's his name? Do we know him?" Jeremy asked.

"Is he hot?" Elena chimed in.

"There's no guy!"

"You're so lying," Jeremy pressed on, a childish glint in his eyes as he reverted back to his ten-year-old snooping ways. "You know we're gonna find ou anyway so you might as well just save us the trouble, you the harassment and just tell us."

"There's no guy."

"Is he fictional?"

Elena couldn't help the laughter that fell from her lips. Jenna's expression was priceless as Jeremy went on, accusing their aunt of having made up a boyfriend in her head just so they wouldn't think she was lonely. She knew what he was doing; he thought that if he teased her enough, pushed enough of her buttons, she would relent and just tell them his name. And if the doorbell hadn't rung for their pizza delivery, Jeremy probably would have been right and Jenna would have surrendered.

"Oh would you look at that, the pizza's here." Jenna bounded up from the floor, her sigh of relief audible throughout the room as the Gilbert siblngs exchanged knowing glances. She dug through her purse before groaning. "Okay, I'm short ten bucks."

Elena quickly dug into her pocket, handing over five bucks. The two girls looked to Jeremy expectantly before he shook his head vigorously, declaring he doesn't give his money to liars. The doorbell rang again and Jenna begrudgingly admitted through gritted teeth that she was dating Logan Fell. "Now cough up the cash!"

After Jeremy begrudgingly handed over the necessary cash, the delicious smells of pepperoni and cheese pizza wafted under their nostrils as Jenna set one box on the floor beside the board game, the other putting away in the kitchen for later. After grabbing their drinks and napkins, they reconvened at the coffee table, Jenna reluctantly ready to answer their questions about Logan.

"We hate him," Jeremy announced point blank.

"Jeremy!" Elena admonished before turning to Jenna. "We don't hate him, we just—we don't want to see you get hurt again."

"No, we hate him." It's not like they didn't have good reason to doubt Jenna's (new?) guy. It couldn't have been more than six years ago when Jenna would call their mom every night for two weeks straight, bawling her eyes out each and every time because he had slept with her best friend at the time, Monica. She was blindsided by both her best friend and her boyfriend and neither Elena nor Jeremy wanted to see her go through that again. Miranda wasn't around anymore to pick up the pieces of the broken heart that would surely be hers if she gave him another chance, so they had every right to be skeptical and hesitant.

Jenna sighed heavily. "We haven't even started playing Scrabble and the drama is already unfolding," she said lightly before continuing. "Look, it's not like we're official or anything so don't freak out too much. Logan and I have decided to just get to know each other again. A lot has changed since high school and it's nice just to talk to him again. So just try and give him a chance, okay?"

"Why should we?" Jeremy wondered, anger and annoyance seeping into his voice. Before Jenna could answer him, the doorbell rang for the second time that night. Elena watched as nervousness flashed across her aunt's face as she gauged the reaction of her and her brother. Jeremy rolled his eyes. "That's him, isn't it?"

"Well, yeah. But I won't invite him to join us if you're not okay with it. This is your house just as much as it is mine and if it makes you uncomfortable, I will ask him to leave. But I think the two of you will really, really like him if you give him a chance."

Neither Elena nor Jeremy knew a lot about Logan, but they knew enough about him to know that odds are, he probably wasn't a changed man. He was at their parent's funeral five months ago, quietly supporting Jenna from a distance as she mourned the loss of her sister. Jenna was spread thin that day, between reminiscing about the good old days she spent with Miranda, crying about how much her life has and was going to change and comforting Jeremy and Elena. While all of this was going on, Logan was on the sidelines, flirting with one of the distant Gilbert cousins as Jenna picked up the pieces that were now her life.

"Okay," Elena finally said. "We'll give him a chance – for you."

Jenna's glee was palpable as she flitted off to answer the door for her gentleman caller and in her eyes, the rest of the night probably went off without a hitch. The foursome played a decent game of scrabble (Elena won, Jeremy coming in for a close second). They ate pizza, drank soda and watched a movie and well, to the naked eye it was a great night. But everything Logan said and did made Elena's stomach churn and Jeremy's hands ball into fists. There was something off about him – wrong.

But neither of them had the heart to say anything about it to Jenna when she hugged Logan goodbye and kissed him on the cheek, saying her goodbyes for the night before heading off to bed. When she was up the stairs and out of ear-shot, Jeremy turned to Elena with concern in his eyes. "Okay, tell me I'm not the only one that sees right through his act."

"No, you're not the only one but what are we gonna do? It's not like we can tell Jenna. He hasn't actually done anything wrong."

"Not yet but he's a bad guy, Elena. You know it and I know it. He'll bring her nothing but heartbreak."

Elena couldn't help but roll her eyes. "You sound like Caroline."

"Caroline doesn't trust Logan either?" Jeremy frowned, unable to connect the two.

Elena shook her head, clarifying. "Not Logan, Damon. She doesn't trust Damon."

"Who's Damon?"

"Salvatore."

"What does Damon Salvatore have to do with this?" Jeremy asked.

"Nothing." Elena began to panic. Out of all the people she wanted to talk to about what was going on with her and Damon, the two people that were at the bottom of that list were Jeremy and well, Damon. "I'm just saying that people can change and maybe Logan is different now."

"Or, maybe he's exactly the same. What's that thing that mom used to say? Tigers don't shed their skin?"

"Stripes," Elena corrected, laughing. "Tigers don't shed their stripes and that's fair but, people can change and maybe Logan Fell is one of those people. Even if he's hasn't, he—he was her first real love and her first real heartbreak. You don't just forget something like that. If she were to be with someone else other than Logan Fell—"

"Scumfell," Jeremy corrected automatically.

"—she'll have to fall for someone harder than she ever fell for him."

"Okay, but who do we know that's good enough for Jenna?"

"Oh no, no, _no_." Elena shook her head, backing away from her brother. She could see the wheels turning in his head; Jeremy had that same look in his eyes when he was seven years old and thought Elena was destined to marry the boy next door, Zach. He had called the minister to the house and everything. "We're staying out of it. More than that, _you're_ staying out of it."

"Whatever you say, 'Lena."

"Go to bed," Elena ordered, only slightly amused as she hopped off the couch and headed upstairs for the night.

* * *

><p>On Monday morning, Elena awoke feeling refreshed and rejuvenated and had it not been for Friday night, she would have welcomed this feeling of contentment with open arms, and all refreshment and rejuvenation was quickly replaced with anxiety and butterflies over the fact that she would see Damon today.<p>

"I made toast." Elena snapped out of a reverie she wasn't aware she was in to look at Jenna, her brows furrowing together in confusion, a small _huh?_ escaping from her lips. "I made toast," Jenna proudly repeated before deflating. "Well, it was supposed to be toast but it appears as though I left the toaster on for too long so now it's just burnt squares of whole wheat bread."

"Lucky for you, it's all about the coffee Aunt Jenna." Elena smiled softly, handing her aunt a steaming mug. "But it's the thought that counts." Jenna seemed to accept that as they stood in silence for a few minutes, drinking their coffees before Elena commented on her aunt's attire for the day. "It's 8:15am. You're hardly ever out of bed before 10 _and_ your dressed to impress, what's the occasion?"

Jenna sighed heavily. "Do I look adult to you? As in, respectfully parental? I have to go to Jeremy's parent-teacher conference in twenty minutes." She turned around to look in the mirror, gauging her appearance as she played around with different hairstyles. "What do you think? Should I wear my hair up or down?"

She thought about it as Jenna held her hair up for appraisal. "Sexy stewardess." She let her hair fall loose around her shoulders. "Boozy housewife..."

Jenna pursed her lips. "Up it is. You're fiestier than usual today."

Elena took a deep breath and exhaled with a small smile on her face. "I feel good—which is rare, so I've decided to go with it; fly free, walk on sunshine and all that stuff." Her gaze flitted to the clock on the stove and then back to Jenna. "Hey, do you know where Jeremy is? He's not upstairs and Caroline is gonna be here any minute to pick us up."

"Oh, he left early, something about getting to wood shop to finish a birdhouse." For the second time in five minutes, Elena's brows furrowed together in confusion. Jenna gauged her reaction and put the pieces together in her head, realization flashing across her face. She smiled grimly. "There is no wood shop, is there?"

"Unless he transferred schools then no, there's no wood shop." Elena watched disappointment flash across Jenna's face but before she could relay some words of encouragement her thoughts were cut off by the honking of a horn. She sighed. It both amazed and upset Elena how quickly her little brother could go from wanting to play matchmaker for their aunt to leaving the house early to do god knows what with god knows who. "That's Caroline, I have to go but I'll—I'm gonna talk to Jeremy later. He can't lie to you about stuff like that."

"No, no you're not. _I'm _the parent." Jenna must have realized her mistake as she quickly waved her hand dismissively, shaking her head back and forth as she corrected herself. "Sorry—adult. I'm the adult and I'll talk to him. Now go, I don't know much about Caroline but she doesn't seem very patient. I'll see you later."

"Yeah, patience isn't exactly Caroline's strong suit." Elena chuckled lightly before wrapping her arms around Jenna, a small smile on her face. She whispered a quick _love you_ and waved goodbye before turning around and leaving. She bounded down the porch steps and made it to the car just in time, before Caroline honked the horn for what would have been the sixth time in four minutes.

"Where's Jeremy? I thought I was carpooling with both Gilbert siblings," Caroline asked as she applied lip gloss in her rear-view mirror.

"Hell if I know," Elena answered. "But he told Jenna that he was going to school early to finish a birdhouse."

Caroline listened intently and waited until Elena was safely buckled in before she took off down the street. They still had to stop by Bonnie's house to pick her up before they could head to school, but luckily Bonnie and Elena only lived within a ten-minute drive of each other, so getting to school on time would be no problem.

"Oh wow, and Jenna actually bought that?"

"Yeah. I think it's easier to buy a lie than it is to face the truth," she said solemnly before her face lit up with amusement. "But Jenna did have a few drinks last night during an interesting game of scrabble so I think she might be a little bit hungover."

Caroline looked over to someone who had quickly become one of her best friends in the entire world. She smiled compassionately as she took in Elena's solemn, nervous expression. They didn't know each other for that long, but she was well aware of how much family meant to Elena.

"I'm sure Jeremy is just fine, Elena."

"I hope so." They didn't exhaust the topic further as they pulled up in front of Bonnie's house. Caroline and Elena watched with amused expressions as their friend tiredly stood up from the porch steps and slowly shuffled towards the car, adjusting her sunglasses and frowning when the loud sound of music greeted her when she opened the door. Quickly turning down the stereo, Elena grinned. "Well, speaking of hungover..."

Bonnie shook her head as she slid into the back seat, an audible groan escaping from her lips. "I'm not hungover. I didn't get any sleep last night. Grams is in town and she was up all night with a bottle of jinn, singing god awful show tunes before chanting in Latin."

"Pardon?" Caroline giggled alongside Elena.

"Yeah. She nearly lit my house on fire by lighting every single candle she could find. I'm not even joking. The whole night was like a scene right out of the Exorcist minus the projectile vomiting. And when I asked her what she was saying, she slurred something about doing her part to keep the angry spirits at bay. I hate to say it, but I'm starting to get why my mom left home at sixteen."

Sooner than any of them would have liked, they arrived at the school. Finding space was always a nightmare in a parking lot this small, so Caroline heaved a sigh of relief when her eyes zeroed in on what seemed to be the only available parking space in the whole lot but before she could take it, she was cut off by another driver in a blue mustang.

"You have _got_ to be kidding me, what an asshole!" Caroline cried, angrily pressing her palm against the horn repeatedly. While Caroline seethed in the driver's seat, Elena and Bonnie watched curiously as the driver stepped out of the car. Elena's heart nearly pounded through her rib cage when she saw Damon: Damon wearing black from head to toe, Damon sporting his signature leather jacket, Damon with his cobalt blue eyes that could rival the bright blue sky, Damon and all his Salvatore swagger. "Do you think anyone would notice if I just, I don't know, _ran him over?"_

Despite her racing heart, Elena tore her gaze away from Damon and let out a loud laugh. "I don't know, Stefan might." Caroline opened her mouth to spout out profanities about how much she hated Damon Salvatore before she was distracted by a knock at the window. She turned towards the sound, her eyes nearly bulging out of her face as she saw Stefan leaning towards the glass, gesturing for her to roll it down. Bonnie and Elena stifled their laughter as Elena gently poked Caroline on the shoulder. "Caroline, it's okay. You can roll down your window, he won't bite."

"I wish he would bite," Caroline mumbled before rolling down the window, her previous scowl replaced with a beaming smile. "Stefan, hey!"

"Hey Caroline," Stefan greeted kindly, adjusting his bag on his shoulder. "I'm sorry about my brother—"

"Brother? Damon's your brother?" Caroline quickly realized her mistake and shook her head quickly nervous laughter spilling from her lips. "I mean—of course Damon's your brother. I'm so sorry, it's still really early in the morning. You know how it is, late night with the girls, drinking lots of jinn with the Grandma."

Stefan's lips pulled up into an amused smile. "Your...your grandma drinks jinn?"

"Apparently she does. You know how crazy old people can get."

He let out a small laugh, nervously shifting on his feet before smiling again. "Listen, I got a ride today with Lexi but something came up and she had to bail. If you hurry, you might be able to snatch her spot around back. I know people don't like to park there if they can help it but I figured it's much better than risking parking on the street."

"Of course it is, thank you!" Elena exchanged a look of knowing with Bonnie as Caroline nodded happily, thanking Stefan profusely just like he promised her the world on a silver platter. He nodded once more before he waved goodbye and left. When he was out of ear-shot, Caroline leaned back into her seat, a loud whine escaped her lips. "I love him so much!"

Elena gently patted Caroline on the shoulder before stepping out of the car. "Well, you can love him all the way back to the parking lot. I'm getting out here, I have to take care of something. Thanks for the ride, Care. I'll see you two later!"

"Alright—oh hey, if you see Stefan make sure you put in a good word for me, okay? Tell him—tell him how amazing you think I am and that any guy would be lucky to have me. Oh, and make sure he knows that I'm single—but don't make me sound desperate. Make me sound desirable, not needy."

Bonnie climbed over the console to sit in the passenger seat with a smile on her face and added, "And be sure to mention how modest she is, and how she likes him a normal amount."

She really and truly appreciated everything that Bonnie and Caroline brought to her life. She didn't have friends like that when she lived in Roanoke; she had a few acquaintances but for the most part she was on her own. But here, in Mystic Falls, she could feel herself putting down roots. Not just with her friends, but with Damon too. And that thought scared her.

"Elena Gilbert." Elena turned around at the call of her name, surprised etched on her features when she saw who it was. "I'm Mason—"

"Lockwood, yeah I know." Surprise flashed across his features for the briefest of moments and she realized her voice had been a lot more clipped than she ever intended it to be for a first encounter. She quickly backtracked, a small smile on her face. "I mean, I'm on the squad so it's part of my job to know all the players."

"Just for football?" Mason mused with a sly smile. A deep blush spread across her cheeks as she instinctively hugged her books tighter to her chest and took a small step backwards, suddenly very uncomfortable. She didn't like the way he was looking at her — leering at her, like she was a fresh piece of meet. Despite Damon's reputation, she can't recall him every looking at her like that. Sensing her discomfort, it was Mason's turn to backtrack. "Relax Gilbert, it was a joke."

Elena flinched at the cavalier use of her last name. He said it so casually, like they've been friends for years. What was probably meant to break the ice was more off-putting than anything else. "Can I help you with something?" she cut to the chase, not bothering to keep the annoyance out of her voice.

"Actually, yes there is." He exhaled sharply (almost nervously) before his eyes met hers, smiling slyly once again. "There's this stupid banquet this weekend for the Found Families, it's kind of a formal thing and well, I have to bring a date—I was kind of hoping you'd be my date. I think that with you there with me, the whole thing might be a little less boring."

"I don't know, Mason—I don't even know you. And I'm not trying to be rude and I'm not saying no but, I just—I don't know."

He folded his arms and puffed out his chest a little bit, that damned sly smirk coming into play once again. She found herself wanting to smack it off his face. "Well, to be fair is that not how you get to know people? Bringing them to boring town functions and getting through the night in one piece together?"

Thankfully, the first bell rang before she had to give him an answer. She looked down at her phone and groaned, nervously running her fingers through her hair. Caroline had picked her up at her house a few minutes later than she had hoped and now because of her impromptu conversation with Mason Lockwood, she wouldn't have time to talk to Mr. Saltzman about Damon's tutoring until later in the day. "I'm sorry, I have to go," she said, moving to pass him.

Mason stepped in her way and gently grabbed her elbow before bending down slightly to search her eyes. "Does that mean you'll think about my offer?"

"I don't think I need to." Elena relinquished herself from his hold and backed away, her eyes narrowing in defiance. "My answer is no."

In one swift movement, Mason grabbed her phone from her hand and quickly typed something into it. He handed it back to her just as quickly before shoving his hands in his pockets and backing away. When she looked at her phone, she saw he had programmed his number into her contacts. She looked up at him to see him smiling widely at her, like he knew something she didn't. "Just in case you change your mind."

"I wouldn't count on it."

* * *

><p>"Hello, Elena," Damon drawled out seductively, leisurely leaning against her locker at the end of the day. After her strange encounter with Mason, the rest of the school day went by without any hitches and thankfully, the day was over now. She had been on her way to her locker when she spotted him waiting for her, typing something into his phone.<p>

"Hey." Elena greeted him evenly, a small smile on her face as she tried to maintain some semblance of control and normalcy despite her racing heart and sweaty palms. "What's up?"

"What's up is that you've been avoiding me."

"It's been a busy day, but no, I haven't been avoiding you. At least not on purpose."

"I don't believe you," he said simply, only slightly amused. She exhaled sharply and gently motioned for him to move out of her way so that she could get to her locker. Once all her books were safely tucked away, she turned towards him with an amused smile on her face.

"Now why on earth would I be avoiding you?"

"Oh, I don't know maybe because we kissed and now it's weird." Elena's entire face dropped, as well as her stomach. She doesn't know what she had been expecting her first post-kiss encounter with Damon would be like, but she certainly wasn't counting on him bringing it up right away. Then again, he never was one for beating around the bush. She swallowed back the anxiety and slew of apologies that were building up on her tongue before he effectively cut her off, a friendly smile replacing his previous all-knowing smirk. "It's weird now, but it doesn't have to be. So we kissed, so what? People kiss all the time. It's not a big deal, and it didn't mean anything, right?"

That's what Elena had been trying to convince herself about their kiss ever since it happened three days ago, but hearing Damon say that it wasn't a big deal, hearing him say that it didn't mean anything only made her realize how wrong she was about the whole thing. Of course it was a big deal, it was possibly the biggest deal. And of course it meant something - it meant everything. But she couldn't tell him that, not when he didn't feel the same way.

She took a deep breath to steady the tidal wave of emotions that were threatening to drown her, to fight back the tears that were building up behind her eyes. "No—I mean, yeah, it didn't mean anything." An incredulous scoff fell from her lips, mingling with another fake smile that she perfected long ago. "Of course it didn't mean anything; it was just the heat of the moment."

"Right." Damon agreed with her, and for the briefest of moments, it almost looked as if he was disappointed by her response. Before she could know for sure, he quickly recovered and smiled down at her - smiled at her like nothing ever happened. Her heart ached. "Heat of the moment," he echoed. "So does that mean we're good?"

"Yeah Damon," Elena said softly. "Yeah, we're good."

"Good, that's good."

"Good."

Another moment passed before he was pushing himself off the locker with his shoulder, hands nervously shoved in his pockets as he looked at her one last time before becoming another face in the crowd. Tears pricked her eyes but she fought them back and took another deep breath, slamming her locker shut and taking off down the opposite hallway, desperate for the fresh air to fill her lungs.

It didn't take a genius to figure out that things between Damon and Elena weren't good. They weren't good at all. Caroline was right in what she said during her first few days in Mystic Falls, Damon Salvatore would bring her nothing but heartbreak. With new found courage, she shakily brought her phone out of her purse and shakily dialed a number that, up until five minutes ago, she never would have even given the time of day.

"Hello?" a male voice answered. "Who is this?"

"Mason—it's Elena. Elena Gilbert." She took a deep breath. "If it's not too late, I'd like to take you up on your offer."


	8. Nightingale

Author's Note: Thank you so much, all of you, for not giving up on this story despite the fact that updates are few and far between. I struggle a lot with inspiration for every chapter, and I've had a rough go of it lately but today I just sat down and this is what I came up with. Damon and Elena still have a long way to go with this story, and that means that I do too. I hope that you'll weather the storm with me no matter how long updates take, because I really am sorry for the space between. Please remember that though sometimes I may want to, I won't give up on this story and for those of you that read Lights Will Guide You Home and The Married Life, please know I won't give up on those either. Thank you for all of your support, I love you all.

* * *

><p><strong><em>I never see the forest for the trees<br>I could really use your melody  
>Baby I'm a little blind<br>I think it's time for you to find me_**

"Seriously, you all suck. You just butchered what used to be a perfectly choreographed dance routine!" Katherine barked, picking at her perfectly manicured nails.

Elena sighed. It had been like this for the past week. Mystic Falls' cheerleading squad had practice everyday after school for the next two weeks following the homecoming game, and it seemed as though the football teams win only fueled what Elena was realizing to be a dangerous fire within Katherine Pierce. For the most part, she kept her opinions about the She-Devil to herself, but as Elena did warm-ups with Bonnie and Caroline and half the squad on one side of the gym while Katherine yelled at everyone on the other side, it became apparent that the close-knit team they became at the beginning of the year was crumbling with every disdain-laced profanity that fell from Katherine's mouth.

"God, I hate her. I hate her so much. If there was an award for hating her, I would win," Caroline hissed, eyes shooting daggers towards their captain. For a second, Elena thought she actually saw steam coming out of the blonde's ears. "If it's possible, I hate that superficial bitch more than I did yesterday - and yesterday she called me fat!"

Elena frowned in confusion. She had missed practice yesterday in favor of spending the afternoon with Jeremy while Jenna was out with Logan and today she had only briefly conversed with them in the halls before the bell rang for class so she was pretty out of the loop - and now kind of pissed. "Katherine called you fat?"

"Not in so many words. We were doing laps around the track while the boys had practice and in front of everyone she said, and I quote: "Way to go, Care Bear. You're finally shedding those pounds of cellulite!" Bonnie had to hold me back from dragging the bitch by her hair and knocking her perfect teeth out."

Bonnie nodded in agreement. "It's true!"

"She's just jealous because she knows you're a better captain than she could ever be!" Elena smiled, bringing Caroline in for a brief hug. "And I'm sure she knows that the rest of the squad feels the same way."

"Thanks Elena."

Suddenly, the most grating noise sounded throughout the gymnasium. Elena's gaze fell on Katherine as she stood on a chair at the front of the gym, a sparkly megaphone at her mouth as she told everyone to get into position. The squad was going through the routine for what felt like the millionth time.

Everyone was visibly exhausted but that didn't deter their captain in the slightest. Katherine stood in front of the squad, not a hair out of place and as she nodded and bobbed her head to the music while watching everyone with narrowed, judgmental eyes.

"Stop, stop—stop." Katherine abruptly shut off the music before strutting over to where Andie stood in the front row, annoyance seeping into her voice. "What is your problem today? You suck! But I know that you don't always suck this bad. I know you can do better."

For a split second, Elena thought that Katherine was a decent human being with the way she seemingly tried to boost Andie's confidence - before she delivered the next part of her speech. "You must be able to do better because if you weren't so flexible, Damon Salvatore wouldn't bother taking a second look at you so what, may I ask, is your problem?"

Elena had no friendship with Andie, no reason to jump to her defense whatsoever but as she watched the poor girl literally cower away from Katherine, fury shot through her veins and she knew what she had to do. "That's none of your damn business!"

Katherine turned her head towards Elena, a perfectly sculpted eyebrow arched over her eyes. Her voice was dripping with venom. "What did you just say to me?"

"You heard me," Elena shot back fearlessly. "She's doing her best—we all are! Your only concern is taking us to Nationals and making sure that we support our team. It's none of your business what we do outside of this gym."

"It's my squad, little girl. I'm making it my business. And if you know what's good for you, I'd shut your pretty little mouth before I shut it for you."

"You are so out of line! You don't get to attack her just because Damon decided to upgrade his standards while you were gone!"

"Clearly he couldn't have upgraded much if he's spending time with the lengths of you." Katherine took a step forward, a vicious smile playing on her lips as she looked Elena dead in the eye. "You don't know who you're dealing with. I don't know what things were like at your old school, but this is the big leagues honey and I am not someone you want to mess with."

Unfortunately, Katherine got the last word as she quickly announced that practice would end early today and just like that, the squad dispersed, hushed whispers echoing throughout the gymnasium as gossip erupted like a volcano.

Elena heaved a sigh of relief before grabbing her bag and exiting the gym with Caroline and Bonnie in tow. She made it all the way to Caroline's car in the parking lot before exclaiming, "I'm so screwed!"

"Girl, you were totally kick-ass in there!" Bonnie cheered, smiling widely as she threw her bag on the ground and hugged her friend.

"I can't believe I did that—I can't believe I said those things. She's Katherine Pierce and now I'm officially on her hit list."

Caroline rolled her eyes. "Don't take it personally; practically everyone is on her hit list. God knows she's on everyone else's—hell, she's number one on mine right next to Damon."

Elena sighed heavily. "He's not a bad guy, Caroline."

"Yeah, well he's not a good guy either! And I don't know why you keep defending him, I told you what he was all about. As soon as you give him the chance, he will break your heart into a thousand tiny pieces." Folding her arms across her chest and all but stomping her foot like a petulant child, Caroline's expression went from annoyed to angry in two seconds and Elena knew only one person could be the cause of such a change in behavior. "Speak of the devil..."

"And the devil shall appear." Damon's voice sounded from behind Elena. She turned around, heart stuttering to a tantalizing halt inside her chest as she took him in. Inhaling, she caught a whiff of his scent: spice, leather, aftershave and something else that was so uniquely Damon. He had been standing there all of one minute and already she felt the stress of her stand-off with Katherine dissipate.

Finally finding her voice amidst the butterflies in her stomach, Elena smiled shyly at Damon. "Hey."

"Hey back." Damon's boyish grin turned mischievous as he turned toward her two friends. "Blondie, Judgey, always a pleasure."

Caroline snorted. "I wish I could say the same."

"If I remember correctly, you were singing an entirely different tune prior to the beginning of the school year, yes?"

Elena fought to keep her emotions in check. Aside from Bonnie, Caroline was easily her best friend at this school and she didn't see anything changing that anytime soon. Still, that doesn't mean she liked to have their little tryst rubbed in her face every other conversation.

"We all make mistakes," Caroline shot back before turning to Elena. "My mom has the day off work and she wants me home right after practice, do you want a ride home?"

For a brief moment, Elena considered staying behind and indulging herself in Damon. Things were left kind of weird with them after they talked about the kiss, and she was desperate to get back that friendship they were building before the party.

"Yes please." Caroline flipped her hair over her shoulder as she and Bonnie climbed into the car, leaving Elena to say her goodbyes to Damon. God, she'd see him tomorrow - why did every conversation with him feel like the last one? More than that, why did she care so much? "Well, I should go."

"Yeah, me too. We're still on for tomorrow, right?" Damon asked. Elena could have sworn that his voice sounded incredibly hopeful, almost as if he was looking forward to spending the majority of tomorrow afternoon with her. She couldn't help but smile at the thought.

"Of course."

* * *

><p>Damon couldn't remember a time where he felt so on edge. In fact, he'd been feeling like this all week. He ignored the part of his brain that told him he was feeling like this because of the way he left things with Elena on Monday. He decided to forget about the look in her eyes when he told her that their kiss didn't mean anything.<p>

For the rest of the week, they avoided each other like the plague. Thankfully, their tutoring sessions had yet to begin so he had some time to get himself together before they were forced to spend time in such close quarters. Things started to look up on Thursday with their brief encounter in the parking lot. She seemed to be okay with the way things were between them, and he was in no hurry to rock the boat by apologizing and drenching everything back up again.

After speaking to her in the parking lot, he went straight home and from there he went with Stefan to visit their mom. According to the nurses, Amelia was doing a lot better. There was even a moment of lucidity when she said that Giuseppe was probably still at the office. It was gone before they could celebrate it.

All the stress and anxiety of the week is how he found himself staring at Andie's ceiling afterschool on Friday. It had been an exhausting week, another grueling week of practice and on top of all that, it was Friday which meant that tonight was the stupid thing for the Founding Families.

Most of the time, being a Salvatore had its perks. Giuseppe was a rich and powerful business man, and that had some rank in such a small town. However, no one outside of the Salvatore family knew what was going on with Amelia. Giuseppe had decided after she was admitted to the Richmond nursing home that it would be better to let everyone come to their own conclusion. At first, the rumors nearly ate Stefan and Damon alive. People would give pitiful looks as they walked the halls, old women from the church their mom used to go to would apologize to them and say they didn't think that Amelia was the type of woman to leave her family behind. And as per their father's request, they didn't deny anyone's claims.

Gossip had always been a big part of Mystic Falls, but Damon thought that these events for the Founding Families only made it easier for middle-aged women to tear down everyone else when they were congregrated in groups, sipping glasses of wine while their husbands discussed business.

So yeah, he was pretty wound up. Luckily for him, Andie was more than willing to help him wind down. Sometimes, Damon felt bad for using her the way that he did but he never did anything that she didn't want him to do. And plus, it wasn't all sex. Sometimes they talked. Well, she talked, he listened while he counted down the minutes until he could leave but regardless, there was talking.

That's not to say that he didn't like or even appreciate Andie because he did. She was intelligent and confident, two big factors as to why he kept her around. She wasn't insecure like most girls in high school, always questioning the nature of their relationship. Andie knew where they stood, and that's why they worked so well.

"I have to admit, I didn't think you'd call me again," Andie admitted quietly, voice laced with insecurity. "People seem to think that there's something going on with you and Elena Gilbert, more than either one of you are letting on."

"Elena and I—it's not like that with us. We're just friends."

"You sound disappointed."

Shit.

How can he say too much while not saying anything at all? Damon sighed heavily, rolling out of bed and getting dressed. "She's just a girl, Andie."

Clearly having not felt as though the topic had been exhausted, Andie smiled softly. "I like her. I think she's really great and well, I think she could be good for you. And I know she cares about you."

Damon quickly buckled his pants and slipped into his shirt before collecting his phone off the nightstand. He now stood by the door, a smirk on his lips as his hand hovered over the doorknob. He was already fifteen minutes late for his meeting with Elena and if he didn't get his ass to that library soon, all his talk about the two of them being friends will have been for naught.

"If she cares about me, that makes her the biggest idiot of them all." And without another word, he was out the door.

* * *

><p>"You're late." Elena's voice was bitter but teasing once Damon finally arrived to the library where their tutoring session would take place. Unfortunately, it had taken longer than either of them had hoped for her to get all the kinks ironed out with his teachers and gather the necessary material, but now she had assured him that there would be no more hiccups.<p>

Except his punctuality apparently.

"Yeah, I know, I'm sorry. I got caught up with something." He didn't offer any further explanation than that and she didn't ask. Instead, they just moved on with the material. For the next two hours, they immersed themselves in schoolwork until finally, Damon slammed the textbook shut out of frustration. "Okay, I think that's enough studying for one day."

For the past two hours, all they talked about was English literature - more specifically, Shakespeare. And yeah, he can appreciate classic literature as much as the next guy but it's not like his works are the most interesting pieces to read. Elena's argument had been that not only would it improve his grade but that classic literature was something that everyone should familiarize themselves with.

"Damon, we barely scratched the surface!" Elena laughed lightly. "You have to know this stuff, it'll definitely be on your final exam!"

"All work and no play makes Elena a very dull girl," Damon drawled flirtatiously. He couldn't help the wide grin that spread out on his face at the indignant look on hers. Elena crossed her arms defensively and arched an eyebrow, clearly baffled by his comment.

"I am not dull."

"Of course," Damon continued, a smirk playing on his lips. "There are ways you could convince me that you're actually not as boring as you seem."

"You're terrible!" But the smile on Elena's face told Damon that she didn't think he was terrible at all.

"I've been called worse." Damon shrugged indifferently.

"Damon—" Elena murmured sadly, her hand reaching out to his. Her eyes were flooded with something he couldn't place, but something he desperately wanted to name. His entire body twitched with the need to take her hand in his own, but before he had the chance they were interrupted by Mason Lockwood.

Elena immediately withdrew her hand. He wanted to scream. "Mason!" she exclaimed, clearly surprised by his arrival.

Damon all but growled at him. "What are you doing here?"

Mason nodded his head towards where Mayor Lockwood stood, talking to some council member who also doubled as the town's librarian. "My dad had some business to take care of and I decided to tag along. And I'm glad I did," he said with a grin, turning towards Elena.

Elena returned the sentiment but nothing but a shy little smile, but it was enough to make Damon's hands clench into fists under the table, blood boiling and arm twitching to punch Lockwood square in the face.

"Aren't we all," Damon muttered with a roll of his eyes. Elena shot him a glare before turning back to Mason, telling him that they had been studying by means of explanation - as if she owed him one. "Don't be surprised if he doesn't understand the concept, Elena. I don't think he's studied a day in his life."

Mason chuckled, leering at Damon menacingly. "Some people don't need to study. We can't all be failing our classes, can we Salvatore?"

"Mason!" Mayor Lockwood called on his son. "Let's go."

"Yeah, Mason." Damon's lips pulled up into a sinister smirk as he flashed his eyes angrily. "Go. Wouldn't want to keep daddy dearest waiting."

"No, I guess we wouldn't." He turned back to Elena, that insincere grin back on his face. "Well, that's my cue. I'll see you later, Elena."

Elena nodded, smiling politely. "See you later."

Without another word, Mason joined his father and exited the library, leaving Damon and Elena alone once again. Lowering his voice to an angry whisper, Damon demanded answers. "What the hell was that about?"

"You mean your little pissing contest? I don't know, why don't you tell me," she fired back.

Damon rolled his eyes. "It wasn't a pissing contest and that's not what I'm talking about and you know it. I'm asking about the 'I'll see you later, Elena'. What the hell does he mean by that?"

"I think it means that he'll see me later."

"I understand what the words mean, what I don't understand is why he's saying them to you."

She bit her lip nervously before admitting the truth. "Mason asked me out on Monday and I said yes."

"Asked you out? Out out? Like, out on a date?"

Elena couldn't help the laughter that spilled from her lips at his complete and total surprise. "Yes, Damon. On a date. I'm fairly certain you're familiar with the term, you've been on like a billion of them."

His patience was waning and he couldn't be bothered with niceties, opting to get straight to the point. "Elena, guys like Mason don't date girls like you."

"Girls like me?" She echoed incredulously, folding her arms indignantly and narrowing her eyes into slits, glaring at him angrily. "And what is that supposed to mean?"

"Elena, don't be ridiculous. I just meant that guys like him are only after one thing and you're better than that. And you deserve better than that."

Her gaze softened ever so slightly. "I can handle myself."

"Elena—"

"You're looking out for me. And I appreciate that but I'm a big girl, Damon. I can handle myself."

"I don't doubt that you can handle yourself. I do, however, doubt that you can handle Mason. You don't know guys like him he's—he's not good enough for you."

Part of him wanted to let her go and make this mistake on her own. They were hardly friends and he had no claim on her whatsoever. But he knew Mason. And if it were any other girl than Elena, Damon probably would be one of the many guys on Monday asking for details about the romp in the sack he got from the cheerleader on Friday night.

But this was Elena, and all he wanted to do was protect her. His intentions were pure - Mason's weren't, of that he was sure.

Elena sighed, obviously just as exhausted by this conversation as he was. "You don't have to worry about me, Damon."

"Yeah, well, I do anyway," he admitted quietly.

"Why?" she asked, voice barely above a whisper.

His lips pulled up into a small and tired smile. "I wish I knew."

He could have sworn he saw tears in her eyes when she whispered, "Me too."

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><p><strong><em>please leave a review<br>you can follow me on twitter at somethinprettty  
>thanks for reading!<em>**


	9. Just Friends

Author's Note: Yeah, okay, so it's been WAY too long since I've updated (May 2013)—and I don't know how long it will be before I update again, but I thought that I'd get this out to you guys. It's a little shorter than the other chapters, but it's chalked full of Damon and Elena interaction, and I sincerely hope that I'll be able to get out of this We Found Love writing funk that I've been in, and update regularly and get you guys the story that you deserve! In the mean time, I have started another AU/AH Damon and Elena story, it's called _Fireside_ and it would mean the world to me if you checked that out. Thank you for sticking with me through these long waiting periods, it truly means the world to me. I'm so thankful for all of you. I hope you have a lovely day, thank you for reading (and hopefully reviewing!).

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><p><em><strong>I wanna touch you<br>**__**But that just hurts**_

Half an hour into the Founding Families banquet and Elena already felt way out of her element. Every time somebody came up to her and introduced themselves, she froze. Social anxiety had never been a problem for her before but standing alone in the middle of a crowded room, full of people she didn't know and had no business with, she was so far out of her comfort zone.

With the Lockwood's being the host of the entire event, Mason had been following his parents around with Tyler as they were forced to greet various guests which left Elena to fend for herself. She didn't even get to spend more than five minutes with him before he was being whisked away by his overbearing mother.

Elena had been standing on the sidelines for the past twenty minutes, eyes roaming around the room for any sign of _someone_ she might know. Hell, she was willing to strike up a conversation with Sherriff Forbes had she not been engaged in a discussion with the other City Council Members.

She meandered over to the buffet-style table and wet bar, graciously accepting a flute of champagne that was offered to her from a nearby waiter on the way. Normally, Elena hated fancy alcohol but she made an exception, needing something to calm her nerves. Tilting her head back, she let the liquid wash down her throat in the form of what she learned was not champagne but sparkling cider—non-alcoholic.

"First rule of any Mystic Falls banquet: bring your own alcohol." Elena whirled around on her too-high heels too quickly and nearly knocked over a waiter as he passed by had it not been for Damon's strong arms quickly encasing themselves around her waist and holding her upright, catching her before she could fall. "On second thought, maybe you've had enough," he said with a grin.

"You're hilarious," Elena deadpanned, straightening herself out before looking at him. Damon looked absolutely _spectacular_ and judging by the look on his face and smirk on his lips, he damn well knew it too.

A witty retort was on the tip of her tongue before all her thoughts left her with three little words from Damon: "You look amazing," he said simply, eyes locking with hers and blazing with honesty.

"Thank you," she replied, blushing profusely before taking a deep and steadying breath. "You know, you don't look so bad yourself Salvatore."

"Oh believe me, I know."

"Cocky much?"

"_Very_ much." Damon smirked, his cobalt eyes doing the thing she hated to love and loved to hate. She took another sip of her drink and willed away the furious scarlet color she could feel her cheeks turning. "So, where's Lockwood? Isn't he supposed to be your _date_ or something?"

"Damon," Elena sighed. "Please don't start."

"Don't what?"

"Don't start this again."

"I'm not starting anything!" Damon said innocently, holding his hands up in a mock surrender as a mischievous smirk played on his lips. For some reason, any annoyance she felt before had dissipated at the look on his face. That combined with the fact that he was the only real friend she had at this thing, there was no way she could stay mad at him so she just gave into the smile that was pulling on her own lips and soon enough, they were both laughing.

"God, you're unbelievable!" she whisper-shouted, playfully punching him in the arm.

"That's very true."

"And to answer your question, Mason's been with his parents all night. I guess when I said yes, I didn't take into account that going to a Founding Family event with the Mayor's son would put a little bit of a damper on the evening."

"Well," Damon reached into his suit jacket and pulled out a small silver canteen, a mischievous grin on his face as he took in Elena's shocked but intrigued expression. "Maybe the evening can still be salvaged."

Elena's eyes widened. "You brought a flask to an event like this?!"

Not that she could say she was entirely surprised. It was Damon after all.

"Like I could do these things sober. So, whaddya say Gilbert? Care to make the night interesting?" Damon secretly flashed the silver object, an inviting smile on his lips and mischief lighting his eyes. Elena pursed her lips in contemplation.

The way she saw it, she had two options: she could continue standing here at the side of the room, looking like a lonely reject at her first high school dance and spend the rest of the night waiting for her date, or she could take Damon up on his offer, salvage the night and truly enjoy herself.

Elena didn't have to think twice about it.

As it turns out, Damon had a bottle of bourbon stashed in the trunk of his car and over an hour later, the two of them were well on their way to being drunk - if they weren't already. She was more than thankful that their little argument or whatever it was that happened at the library, was forgotten.

Things felt normal again.

Well, as normal as things could be for Damon and Elena.

"So I've been thinking about our little...arrangement, and you're right," Elena slurred, swaying slightly on her feet as she and Damon wandered through the Lockwood gardens. It was beautiful outside, a little breezy but not enough for it to be cold and it was clear skies save for the twinkling stars.

"Oh yeah? And what, pray tell, has been going on in that pretty little head of yours?" Damon mused.

"I'm getting nothing in return," Elena said simply, trying not to blush at the subtle compliment he snuck into his question. "And that's just not fair. So then I started thinking about all the things I want." She stopped walking and turned on her heel abruptly, hazy eyes locking with Damon as she looked up at his face. Her voice lowered to a whisper, eyes darkening almost unnoticeably. "I started thinking about all the things I _need_. And I realized something."

Damon could feel the energy between them shift and crackle with electricity. He swallowed deeply and cleared his throat. "And what is it that you need, Elena?"

Elena grinned. "I realized that I _really_ like your car." Ignoring the small twinge of disappointment, Damon started shaking his head immediately, already seeing where this conversation was headed - and where it would end. "And I _think_, that in return, you should let me drive it. Only, I don't have my license yet so I was thinking that's what you could give me instead: driving lessons."

"You are out of your mind!" Damon stepped backwards immediately, partially amused by her request and partially scared. "No one, and I mean _no one_ drives my baby but me. Sorry. It's nothing personal, that's just the way it is."

"Your baby?"

"Yes, _my baby_."

"Oh, come on Damon! If you think about it, it's actually a win-win situation."

"I think you've been drinking on an empty stomach and all the booze has gone straight to that pretty little head of yours because there's no way that you, an inexperienced driver driving my custom, _classic, _mint-condition Camaro is a win-win situation."

"Why not? You'd get to spend more time with me!"

Damon sauntered forwards, smiling flirtatiously. "And who says I want to spend more time with you?" he wondered, tucking her hair behind her ear and grinning when he heard her sharp intake of breath. "If anything, Elena, I think it's _you_ that wants to spend more time with _me._"

"You are out of your mind!" Elena echoed his previous statement incredulously, eyes widening.

"Am I? I mean, you've practically been plying me with alcohol all night."

Elena's eyes widened with righteous indignation and he couldn't keep himself from laughing. "_I've _been plying _you_ with alcohol?!"

Damon just couldn't help himself. He absolutely _loved_ pushing Elena's buttons. She had a fire inside of her, and he loved knowing he set her alight.

"I'm joking! God, you're so easy."

She narrowed her eyes and wagged her index finger at him. "On the contrary, I'm not."

Damon cracked a genuine smile and Elena found her heartbeat accelerate. "That's what I like about you," he said sincerely, taking a step forward. "You're not like the other girls, Elena."

Her eyes swept casually over his face before they landed over the soft curve of his lips as he smiled gently at her. "Yeah?" He nodded, leaning forward, his lips hovered a hairsbreadth over her own. She could feel his warm breath wash over her face, he was intoxicating.

"Damon?"

"Mmm?"

"Are you going to kiss me again?"

"Do you want me to kiss you again?"

Elena blinked rapidly and desperately tried to get her head together. She had a habit of losing her train of thought whenever Damon was around, especially when he was so close - close enough to touch, to breathe in, to _kiss_.

And God, did she want to kiss him—

_"We kissed and now it's weird, but it doesn't have to be. So we kissed, so what? People kiss all the time. It's not a big deal, and it didn't mean anything, right?"_

Damon's words came roaring back to her, startling her out of her own head and throwing her into the present. He kissed her before, at the party - and then regretted it. Only, she _didn't _regret it. It had been the best kiss of her life, and she can remember the sinking feeling in her stomach when he confronted her in the hallway and admitted what the kiss meant to him: nothing.

Elena didn't think that she could go through that again.

She liked Damon.

She liked being around him.

She liked being his friend.

Kissing would just complicate things.

And she doesn't need complicated.

She needed simple.

And kissing Damon _isn't_ simple.

Hell, _Damon_ isn't simple.

"People that are just friends don't kiss, Damon." Elena finally said, damning the alcohol she's ingested for making her brave enough to bring up kissing in the first place.

And damn him for having the nerve to look disappointed.

"Is that what we are? Just friends?" Damon asked.

"Yeah Damon, we're just friends."

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><p><strong><em>thank you for reading<br>please leave a review_**


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